The Chosen
by DuckiePray
Summary: Six months after "Watchmen", the brothers awaken under strange captors with no memories of themselves or the family they left behind. Separated by a sinister enemy, will they be able to find each other and the way home? Teaser no more!
1. Suppressed

***The following is the beginning of a plot bunny that bit me a couple of days ago, and I don't think it's going to let go. Call it a teaser, if you will. I don't know how large said "bunny" is going to grow yet, but this is a look at where my next undertaking will lead. I do not own the TMNT.**

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><p>The faint light of the computer monitor barely penetrated the shadows that cloaked the hooded figure. Only one of his seven new subjects remained from the original group; the one who intrigued him the most. There was little reason for him to stand by on the observation deck. The equipment was automated, and it had already performed its function.<p>

Yet he lingered.

The creature had been overwhelmed at last, and he should have been free to move on to something else. Fascination was holding him like a magnet however, so that he alternated between staring at the terrapin and the monitor that was currently displaying his subject's vital statistics.

He heard the door hiss open, but he didn't bother acknowledging the individual who ventured to interrupt him. No one was worth heeding when he was busy with a project unless it was the Supreme Commander himself, and he would have received word if their leader had arrived.

"_What is taking so long with the last, Doctor?_" the intruder asked pitifully, as one begging for a crumb of food.

Yasir sighed inwardly. "_He fought reorientation harder than the others, Mukhtar. His mind is extremely unusual_."

"_You sound as though you are _impressed _by this terrapin_."

Yasir turned around to glare at him. "_It is a rare creature indeed who has fought the reorientation this long_."

"_Did you push the device to its fullest potential?"_

Yasir's scowl deepened. _"Idiot! You know that a complete brain wipe usually kills the subject._"

"_You _like_ this one. Why?"_

"_I did not say that I liked him. What does that have to do with killing him? He possesses extraordinarily valuable DNA, and offers untold opportunities for testing. That is nothing to overlook_."

"_We have the other three_," Mukhtar pointed out.

"_They are each amazing in their own way, but this one_…" Yasir hesitated from saying too much. His associate was known for speaking out of turn. "_He has beautiful brain activity. Even under reorientation, it remains strong. Much more pronounced than I expected."_

"_You admit that he impresses you then_."

"_Far more than one such as you_," Yasir returned snidely. "_Now unless you have some pressing reason for being here, I _am_ still trying to work._"

"_I do not mean to intrude, Doctor. The terrapins' coming has created a stir, and others are talking._"

Yasir pushed away from the desk with resignation. "_Have you come only to satisfy your own curiosity, or do you mean to boast of the information I could give you?_"

"_What makes them different_?" Mukhtar persisted without answering the question.

"_Their DNA is _unique_, Mukhtar_." Yasir refused to elaborate. "_Beyond anything I thought we would find in that region._"

"_What is to become of the terrapins? Surely you do not intend to release them._"

"_We are doing nothing of the kind, but they still must be separated. Their very uniqueness makes the mind reorientation …complicated. Their memories are more likely to stay suppressed if they have no knowledge of one another."_

"_Are you keeping this one for observation purposes?"_

Yasir shook his head. "_No. I have already chosen one of the others for that. Another will go to the front line against the rebellion, and the third will be taking a few steps backwards_."

"_Then what do you intend to do with_ him_?_"

"_I am recommending that he go to the Matches."_

Mukhtar blinked in disbelief. "_And I thought you liked him!"_

"_It will prove an effective test. He is clearly strong in body, but whether or not his physical skill can measure up to his mental capacity is yet to be seen."_

"_What of their human counterparts?"_

"_I only care about the woman who was already removed to the Clinic. When I saw her first, I thought she could make a good addition to an Overlord's home, until I discovered her condition. She is far too valuable in herself to allow out of my sight._

"_As for the other man and woman, I do not care what they do with them. They could probably fulfill some menial position, I am sure. They are not any of _my_ concern." _Yasir sighed loudly as Mukhtar's breath fogged up the glass of the enclosed booth. "_Do you have nothing useful that _you_ could be doing?_"

The figure snapped to attention from staring at the terrapin in the next room, and bowed his head sheepishly. "_I will leave you in peace, Doctor_."

"_I am most appreciative_," he replied coolly.

Not until after the unwanted visitor was gone did Yasir rise from his chair, and reach for the touch screen on the wall to turn up the lights in the adjoining room. He entered the lab with a small spring in his step and a grim smile over what he considered to be the find of a century.

_Make that _three_ centuries. We could not have asked for better specimen. Not only do we have several to choose from, but we have the woman as well. A hybrid of DNA is something we have been trying to achieve on our own for so long, without true success. To find _them_ on that mountain of all places, after combing the Earth for years…It hardly feels real to me._

Yasir descended a set of stairs and advanced toward the table, completely unafraid. Waking up from reorientation could be a violent act, but the terrapin was restrained. _He could put up quite a fight, I wager, and I do not need anything broken in here._

He rested a hand on the creature's bicep. _Muscular definition is exceptional. I am sure he would be able to hold his own against many of the opponents he could meet in the Matches, and if not…There are three more to choose from. If I was convinced I could sufficiently control him, I would rather keep him close to my side. The risks far outweigh the possible rewards, and I do not need to give Altus Abeiron any more reasons to doubt me._

Yasir smiled broader as the terrapin's arm twitched underneath his grasp. _Good. Waking up at last. It is time for him to come to grips with his new existence. _"Come," he encouraged the creature. "Open your eyes, 626."

The creature's head jerked in the direction of his voice.

_Excellent. His reflexes are quick to recover. _

"626?" Yasir called calmly.

The terrapin's chocolate brown eyes were blood-shot and wild, as if an animal was fighting to come out of him.

"Relax," he said soothingly. "No one has hurt you, and I am not going to either."

The ferocity in the creature's stare melted into the blank void of someone who'd just discovered that he had no memory of the place he resided or the rest of his life in general. Yasir had seen the look many times.

"You are going to be all right, terrapin," he assured almost kindly. "You will go to your new home shortly."

"My…my new…" The terrapin's voice faltered and his breath hitched before speeding up again.

"Do not panic, 626. It is not going to help you."

"Who are you? What are you doing with me?" he demanded.

"As soon as you calm down, you will go somewhere more comfortable. You would like to stretch your legs and have something to eat, I imagine. You _are_ hungry, are you not?"

The creature stared at him accusingly with eyes that seemed to be aware of Yasir's actions, although his mind couldn't have been. "What did you _do _to me?"

"I did nothing 'to' you. You have been granted an opportunity to save yourself from death. Would you like to take advantage of it, or would you prefer to die upon this table?"

The terrapin's brow furrowed as he couldn't contain a shudder. "What do you want?"

"You have a second chance to do things over, 626. I suggest that you do not waste it."

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><p>Another turtle came awake with a startled jolt, breathing heavily as if he'd been running. He took in great gulps of air, but none of it satisfied his lungs. The first thing he discovered was that he was lying uncomfortably on his side, and his arms and feet were tightly bound. His eyes roved the space rapidly while he tried to make sense of where on Earth he was.<p>

_Windows on three sides, and that's gotta be a seat in front of me. Back of a car. How'd I get here? _His head hurt. Oh, did it hurt! Trying to piece together the current puzzle only had the affect of increasing the pain.

The turtle closed his eyes for a long moment, fighting for a deeper breath. _There's a reason, there must be. If I just relax, maybe it'll come back to me. _As he quieted himself for several seconds, the only thing he became acutely aware of was that he _couldn't _remember. Anything.

His rational side was still trying to convince him to stay calm, even as anger over waking up in the back of a car with zero memory was beginning to win out. He thrashed violently with straps that _looked_ weak enough to break, but they didn't give in the least.

"Stop, stop it," an accented voice addressed him from the back seat. "They'll come to deal with you if you don't settle down."

The turtle peered at the middle-aged man with longish red hair and was surprised to feel like he'd heard the accent before. _Why's that familiar? Do I have some memory of this guy? Is _he_ the one who put me here?_

He scowled at the stranger whom he could neither identify as friend or foe, and willfully rammed his bound legs into the side of the vehicle.

"_Stop_!" the man hissed urgently, motioning with his hand this time too.

"Let me _go_," the turtle fumed in response.

The man's mouth dropped. "You understood me?"

"Sure, and you understand me," he replied with irritation. "Now that we're clear, let me go!"

"Keep your _voice_ down, turtle. If they hear us—"

"Who are they? What are you talking about? Why am I _here_?"

The man shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry. When they brought you here, I didn't know where you'd come from. You must have been through reorientation."

"Through _what_?"

"Can you remember anything from before?"

The turtle was silent for such a long moment that the man finally went on.

"Don't feel bad - it happens to us all. Some of us more than once."

"What happens to us all?"

"Reorientation. The loss of memory. It's both the first step you take in this new life, and a means of punishment in these parts."

"Are you telling me I'm _never_ gonna be able to remember anything?"

The red-haired man shook his head sharply. "Not here, turtle." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Never where an Overlord could hear you."

"Who or _what_ is an overlord?"

"They are the ones who run everything," the man replied softly. "Your first lesson is do not anger the Overlords."

"I'm about to go completely off on 'em if they don't freaking let me _go_."

"If you behave calmly, they'll remove the restraints. People are usually unpredictable when they come around from reorientation."

"I don't get it. What'd they do to me?"

"You have been given a fresh start, turtle. They don't want you to remember your past. The best thing for you to do is cooperate, and you won't be treated badly…for the most part."

"Lemme get this straight. These guys screwed with my head, and now I'm supposed to go along with whatever the shell they say? You're insane."

"No," the man said emphatically under his breath. "I'm not crazy. I enjoy living and keeping my mind in one piece. Not everyone survives the reorientation. I've heard they kill people on purpose sometimes. If you want to live long enough to find some hope, you'll do as you're told."

The turtle's eye-ridges rose. "Where are we going? What are they doing with us right now?"

"We're being resettled. There's new land that needs to be broken in. Since you're here, I can only assume you're joining us."

"Man, you're gonna have to catch me up somehow, 'cause I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"Given time, you will learn. I will help you as much as the Overlords allow, but I cannot guarantee you anything, friend."

The turtle stared at him warily. The man's figure wasn't confusing to him, which leant him the belief that he was nothing unusual. At the same time, he was experiencing a strong compulsion in the back of his mind to avoid the stranger. "Who are you?"

"To the Overlords, I am a number. Among our kind, I am called Ezra."

"If you don't remember nothing, where'd you get the name?"

"Most workers have chosen their own." Ezra looked visibly troubled as he continued gazing back at him. "I don't know why they lumped you in with _us_."

"Why's that surprising?"

"I've never met someone like you, turtle."

"You didn't _act_ like you were shocked by me."

Ezra took a deep breath. "When you've seen as much as I have, you learn not to be shocked by anything."

The turtle opened his mouth to respond, at the same time as the vehicle seemed to be slowing down rapidly. He expected to go flying, but the smooth ride barely lessened despite the strong deceleration.

Ezra whipped his head forward. "Don't say anything hasty, turtle. Keep your anger inside. Don't even look them in the eye."

On the floor, the turtle smoldered while he waited for his first glimpse of the so-called "Overlords". His features hardened as he tried to prepare himself, but his exterior cracked when the back door disappeared into the sidewall instead of swinging open.

_What the shell…_

He squinted in the sudden blast of sunlight at the two figures standing outside, who appeared to be nothing like he'd expected.


	2. Waking & Learning

***Hello again, my friends. It feels like it's been forever since I posted that first "teaser" chapter, and I never pictured where this story would take me. I've always been a huge fan of science fiction, everything from Star Wars to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, to the space series of Madeleine L'Engle, C.S. Lewis, and Stephen Lawhead, but I never thought I'd be writing it myself.**

**I must give credit where it's due to Mikell as both my beta and my good friend. Thanks for not only reviewing my material in advance, but also for being there for me throughout the course of the last eight months with its various ups and downs.**

**My friend Erin also has a huge fingerprint on this fic. She not only inspired one of my races and created portions of a new language which will appear occasionally throughout the story, but she also allowed me the artistic license to play with one of her _own_ original characters. Erin, thank you for your endless enthusiasm, creativity, and willingness to put up with my dropping in on your wall to request words and phrases from the language you created for me. **

**I do not own the TMNT. For the sake of some new friends who may not be familiar with the fandom, this story doesn't follow the actual canon. All of the characters within (with the exception of the turtles and my friend's OC) are my original creation, as is the story-line. Thank you for reading, thank you for reviewing. I love hearing from you guys. :)**

**With no further rambling, let's dive back in.**

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><p><p>

The sinking sun behind the sparkling surface of the vast dome was a beautiful sight, but it wasn't enough to hold the turtle's attention for long. He continued gazing toward the star to satisfy his companion, because she'd assumed that he would enjoy it. On the inside he was too busy reeling from the loss of his entire life to admire _anything_.

When he'd woken up in a bed to discover himself restrained and in an unfamiliar place, Ghaniyah had been waiting for him, and she hadn't left his side since. The immediate anger the experience produced had quickly given way to overwhelming anxiety when he realized that his memory was nowhere to be found. The empty void of his mind made him feel like he was completely alone, even with the woman right beside him.

As he peered at Ghaniyah out of the corner of his eye, he was struck once more by the alien appearance of the elohim that he wasn't used to yet. There _was_ a familiar element in her porcelain features, but her form still confused him. In a small way she reminded him of some of the humans he'd seen earlier that day.

_They're similar, but different at the same time. The humans don't seem out of the ordinary to me, while the elohim…I really don't think I've ever seen anyone like them. _The people had been taller than him, but the _elohim_ towered above the turtle like giants. Even though he could draw parallels in the two race's figures, the elohim were set apart in both power and sense of etherealness. In the company of the elohim, the humans looked like shadows.

The turtle's eyes lingered on the tightly furled wings that were folded behind the woman's back. There was a part of him that dearly wanted to touch their feathery surface, but he resisted the urge. _No. I've never seen anything like her; I'm sure of it._

Ghaniyah turned her head to look at him and golden hair flipped so that he could see the slightly angled point of her ear. "You are not pleased, Azureus." Her smooth voice was tainted with disappointment.

"No, it's great," he protested. "I like the sunset, it's just…I'm sort of distracted."

When her hand rested on his arm, the turtle automatically flinched. Ghaniyah had done nothing to indicate that he needed to fear her, but her presence gave him an uneasy feeling.

"I understand," she said sympathetically, withdrawing her hand. "It will take time, Azureus, but your mind will settle. Do not strive for what is out of your reach; you will only wear yourself out."

The turtle sighed deeply and returned to staring at the fading sunlight. "What's outside the dome?" He had asked the question of her a couple of times, but she hadn't given him a real answer.

Ghaniyah gave him a sad look that seemed to make her blue eyes dim. "For you, there is death," she said softly. "You were brought here to be saved, Azureus."

"I know you said I've been sick, but I _feel _fine. My head hurt when I woke up, but that's mostly gone now. Will I ever leave the dome?"

"That is not for me to say," she answered. "The doctors alone will determine whether you can survive in the normal conditions of Zuhur."

The turtle rested his chin in his hand anxiously, as his gaze landed an elohim that was passing a few feet away from them. The robust male had to be at least seven feet tall, extraordinarily fair, but devoid of the curious wings that Ghaniyah possessed.

"_None_ of this makes any sense," he said. "Is that one the same race as you?"

Ghaniyah nodded with a hint of amusement. "Yes, Azureus; we are both elohim."

"So how come you have wings and he doesn't?"

Her laughter reminded him of a small bell. "We have advanced far in genetics, Azureus. We can manipulate DNA and choose the characteristics we desire. A select few of us have wings in these days, for many find them…cumbersome, and unnecessary. Others appreciate them for their artistic value, as a symbol of purity and grace. Do you find them beautiful?"

The turtle was taken aback by the question, but even more by the way she was looking at him. "Um…sure. They're cool." He scooted to the left as she shifted closer to him on the ground. "Listen…uh…thank you for…explaining some things to me, but I'm actually pretty tired now."

"I expect you are," she cooed gently. "Would you like to return to your…what did you call it? Apartment?"

It had been the first word to pop into the turtle's mind when he saw the space, though he couldn't recall being inside a building like it. "Yes, I would."

As they began walking together, the turtle felt his breath catch inside his chest. Ghaniyah wasn't touching him, but her close proximity was still bothering him. _She's been nice to me all day, yet there's something about her that doesn't feel authentic. Ghaniyah sounds sincere, but I don't know about her. I definitely don't like the way she looks at me, as if—_

His thought broke off as the silver threaded fabric of her flowing tunic brushed against his side. _And that. She finds these little ways to keep touching me, even though she's gotta realize how uncomfortable it makes me feel._

The turtle kept his eyes forward as they went inside the first building in a cluster of tall structures. His gaze traveled over the large hall to the right of the entrance. Ghaniyah gestured toward the tables that appeared to be set for dinner. He saw a number of races inside the room that his guide had yet to identify for him, as well as elohim standing by like watchful guardians. From his viewpoint, it didn't appear that the other creatures garnered as much "personal" attention as he was from Ghaniyah.

"I can have food brought to your apartment if you do not wish to join them," she offered.

He nodded gratefully. _Yeah. Not feeling like being in the middle of that_.

"Let us go then." Ghaniyah motioned to a grand staircase.

He watched her assume a regal poise as she greeted more elohim on their way upstairs. The turtle hated the way the others stared at him with a mixture of contempt and curiosity. As undesirable as some of Ghaniyah's attention was, _they_ made him feel like a specimen under a microscope with their scrutiny.

The turtle followed quietly while the woman let him back inside the spacious white interior. When he'd woken up inside the room, his first thought had been that he was dead. _Maybe I _did _die, _he mused. _Maybe this is just what heaven looks like; but it would make more sense if I was _happy_._

The turtle looked around the open apartment, taking everything in for a second time. He sighed inwardly as Ghaniyah resumed her position of standing by and waiting for him to do something.

"Hey, you don't have to let me hold you up," he said uncertainly. "If there's somewhere else you need to be, you don't have to worry about me."

"You wish for me to leave?"

"It's not that," he faltered. _Yes, actually I would_, he added silently. "I feel like I need to rest, and you've taken care of me all day long. You deserve a break too," he closed with a weak smile.

"I am your steward, Azureus; I have only been performing my function. But I understand if you would like to be alone after the stress of the day. I will have food sent, and I will not be far away." She pointed to the crystalline surface on an adjoining wall. "This door will lead to my room. I am here, should you need me for anything."

The turtle rubbed the back of his head warily. "Does everyone get this kind of service for nearly dying?"

"No, Azureus, but you are a very special guest, and we mean to take care of you."

Her smile was the perfection of beauty, but it made the turtle feel like shuddering. He was relieved when Ghaniyah left. _Not that she's actually gone. Shell, this is all so weird. _The turtle sank into a deep chair nearby a window, and glanced at the gathering darkness across the sky.

A powerful sense of sadness had been lingering on the edge of his mind for hours, and it felt like it was finally overtaking him. Tears rose as emptiness pierced his gut stronger than any hunger could have.

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><p>The fourth turtle wasn't tired. He sensed that he <em>should<em> have been given the ordeal that he must have been through, but he was finding it difficult to rest. Too many questions were rolling through his mind, without any satisfying answers.

He had started out the morning by interrogating a couple of the elohim that lingered around him, but the evasiveness in their replies had discouraged him from continuing. _If they're not going to be truthful with me, I see no point in pushing them._

The turtle spent the remainder of the day in silent observation of the elohim and small glimpses of the reptilian creatures who the Overlords called the ducaz. He felt unsettled between his lack of memory and the deception he sensed that the others were attempting.

For the moment he was trying to ignore the strangers altogether, huddling closer to a small fire for its heat. The open sky was clear, but all of the stars appeared to be veiled, muted by some invisible source. The turtle was still in the process of warming up his hands when he felt someone coming up behind him, and spun around so quickly that the tall figure fell back a step.

The golden-haired elohim laughed deeply. "I am not used to being heard. You must have a highly attuned ear."

The turtle stared at him suspiciously. "Were you _trying_ to sneak up on me, Nizar?"

"You must forgive me, terrapin. You need to undergo several tests before you return to the field of battle."

The elohim held out a dark-colored cloak toward him, which the turtle didn't immediately accept. "It doesn't sound like you're giving me a _choice_ about going to war."

Nizar sat down across the fire from him. "I know you are confused. That is to be expected after what you went through."

He deliberately looked away from the intruder. _If none of them will give me simple straight answers, how can I be expected to fight alongside them?_

"You have a choice, of course," the elohim continued. "We were only returning you to familiar territory. Your life was on the battlefield before you were grievously injured. You should give this a chance, terrapin."

"Do you intend to call me nothing but _terrapin_?" His annoyance came out full force with the question.

Nizar laughed once more. "You have been reborn, as it were. You will acquire a name of your own soon. We had hoped you would wish to return to war, but not overnight, naturally. Will you at least agree to take the tests?"

"What do they entail?" he asked stoically.

"We need to see your abilities in action again: your physical endurance, reflexes, hand-to-hand skills…"

"Hand-to-hand?" the turtle repeated, eyeing the holstered weapon on the elohim's side with contempt. "Don't you just point and shoot?"

"You amuse me, terrapin. There is much more to our warfare than our guns. In fact, the main goal of the Elite is to enable the army to avoid as much outright conflict as possible. That rank is only held by our best warriors; the strongest, fastest, and most skilled."

The turtle cocked his head. "How do they help you avoid conflict?"

"You could think of it as ending a battle before it begins. It's considered the highest calling in our army."

The turtle's brow furrowed. "What is the war about? Why are you fighting?"

The elohim shook his head. "We do not wish to fight at all, but the rebels are not giving us a choice. Their continual attacks on our lands have taken a heavy toll on our people. The only answer to end the slaughter is to strike back, strike hard."

The turtle nodded. "You have the right to defend yourselves and your people. If there's a _good_ reason to fight, I can't think of a better one."

The elohim's golden eyes widened. "You are beginning to sound like your old self, terrapin."

"Will I ever _be_ my old self?" he asked dryly.

"You are who you are," the elohim replied. "The loss of your memory doesn't change that." He offered the cloak to the turtle again, and this time he took it.

"When can this testing begin?"

The elohim smiled. "You sound eager – I like that. Tomorrow we will begin to see how far you can go, yes?"

The turtle drew the cloak tightly around his chest. "I'll welcome the challenge."


	3. Virtus

***In this chapter you'll get to meet Kamryn, my friend Erin's original character. As I was conceptualizing Chosen, I recalled the woman from something that Erin had written years ago, and I knew that her back story would line up perfectly with this fic. Over time you'll find that there is much more to Kamryn than meets the eye.**

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><p>"626" jolted awake as the door to his cell hissed open; a characteristic sound that the turtle had quickly gotten used to. He sat up on his elbow to look at the young woman who'd entered. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a French braid that swung slightly as she strode across the room.<p>

"Up you get, Virtus," she directed. "We have work to do, and you're going to have to eat something first."

The turtle didn't know where she'd pulled the name from, but he preferred it to being known as a number. He gazed at the human curiously. Kamryn was the only person he'd had regular contact with since being imprisoned inside this strange place. It was she who'd accompanied him on every trip he took outside the cell, acting as both a guide and a trainer of sorts. She was a quiet unassuming woman who only stood a couple of inches taller than him. Her irises were a startling bright green, with the slanted appearance and small pupils of cat's eyes.

As he continued watching her sift through a tiny closet, he detected anxiety in her body language. "Kamryn," he called guardedly, rising to his feet. "What's wrong?"

"Did I say something?" she asked innocently.

"You may as well tell me what it is. There's no reason to keep me in suspense."

Kamryn's shoulders slumped as she turned to face him. "You've been chosen for a Match this evening."

The turtle took a sharp breath. "They're going to make me fight."

"I told you that this was coming, Virtus."

He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "How can the elohim force me to battle someone else for their entertainment?"

"Don't think of it that way. Your opponent will not hesitate to hurt you should you refuse to fight. And even if he didn't, the punishment from the Overlords could be severe."

The turtle rubbed a hand over his eyes. "How long can this last, Kamryn? Is there any way to get out of this place?"

She nodded emphatically. "I already told you, Virtus. Win. If you cause the Overlords to value you, then you stand the chance of gaining your freedom."

"The chance," he muttered. "This is absurd."

Kamryn held up her hands helplessly. "I'm sorry. I wish I had the power to do something for you—"

"The best thing you can do is help prepare me," he interrupted.

The turtle had been alone in his 12x12 cell for two days before Kamryn had come to him. The first place she'd taken him had been to work out. As baffled as he'd been by the opportunity, he was grateful for the chance to stretch his muscles.

While the young woman had urged him to start out slowly, he'd been pleased to discover how easily the exercise came to him. What he really yearned for was a long run, but he'd already been informed by the Overlords that he was being kept on a tight leash.

The turtle scratched at the edge of the tightly fitting cuff that had been snapped onto his forearm. He knew that the bracelet was anything but decorative. The elohim hadn't explained what its real purpose was, but he'd noted the threatening undertone with which the cuff been applied.

"C'mon," Kamryn urged him, tossing a brown and tan tunic his direction.

"What's the point of dressing me up when I have nowhere to go?"

She shook her head at him. "You act like you've never worn clothes in your life."

The turtle shrugged, but obediently slipped the oversized tunic over his head, then accepted the sash to tie it in place properly. The young woman led the way out of the cell, and he hesitated in the doorframe before stepping into the hall.

"Virtus? Are you coming?"

"How large is this fight going to be? What should I expect, Kamryn?"

She offered him a reassuring smile. "It's your first Match, so you won't be in a Coliseum. I'm positive they'll have assigned a smaller venue. I don't think you have anything to worry about, Virtus. You may be paired with someone who is bigger than you, but I've witnessed your strength over the last couple of days. You're ready for this."

That doesn't change the fact that I don't want to do it, he thought morosely. How did I get into this mess? There's no way I could have done something to deserve it, is there?

"This doesn't have to mean the end for you, Virtus," Kamryn said softly. "Prisoners have been released from the Matches before."

He shook his head. "I just wish I knew why I'm here, what I could have done. It doesn't seem fair to be subjected to this treatment without any explanation."

Her brow furrowed. "Whatever the reason you're here, I don't think it's because of anything you did."

The turtle met her gaze evenly. "How do you figure? You didn't know me before. You _barely_ know me now."

"You have a good heart," Kamryn asserted, and then lowered her voice. "I can see it as plain as day. I also know a few things about how the Overlords operate. This probably isn't about punishment. They want to control you; they want to control everything."

She leaned closer to him to make certain that he could hear her. "Beyond anything else that I can tell you about them, _remember_ this. You can't trust the elohim. They are masters of deception."

The turtle snorted. "Trusting them isn't a remote possibility," he whispered back. _The real question I have is how far I can trust you?_

* * *

><p>The turtle craned his neck to look around the establishment as he and Kamryn were ushered inside by two of the broad-armed elohim. Every muscle in his body was tensed like he was being led before a firing squad. Maybe it won't be as bad as that, he tried to encourage himself.<p>

As a narrow hallway opened into another room filled with tables, he laid eyes on a large enclosure in the center of the space that reminded him of a cage. _Shell, it's _worse_ than I thought._

He peered at the patrons around the room, and shot an evil look at the vendors who were collecting money from a few of them. The turtle couldn't understand what anyone was saying, but it was obvious that wagering was going on.

His legs locked up for an instant as he stared at the bars covering the platform. One of the Overlord's nudged him with the barrel of his weapon to get him moving. When the turtle didn't respond, the escort cuffed him sharply over the back of the head.

"Get going," the alien ordered.

He did as he was told, biting back the growl that nearly erupted. _They probably expect me to act an animal, but I won't give them the satisfaction._ He sensed Kamryn stiffen next to him, and followed her gaze to where it fell on a bearded monstrosity of a man sitting at the bar across from them.

"Threl," she murmured in disbelief. "This can't be happening."

Before the turtle could ask what she was talking about, the young woman stalked away from him, hurrying to meet another elohim in a brightly colored sash standing close to the platform. He watched silently while Kamryn had a heated discussion with the alien, of which he couldn't understand a word. Her volume increased surprisingly, but the Overlord only shook his head.

Kamryn finally backed away, fear clouding her eyes when she met the turtle's gaze.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "What was that about?"

"You're supposed to fight Threl," she said weakly.

He cast another glance at the man throwing back a shot glass at the bar. "Him?"

"He's a champion, Virtus. He fights in the arenas, not the clubs. This shouldn't be happening; not for your first fight. I tried to stop it, but they're adamant about the Match taking place."

"You don't think I can take him?" A sense of pride rose in a flash.

She shrugged guiltily. "He's one of the best, Virtus, but they're not giving you a choice."

As if to illustrate her point, the elohim behind the turtle gave him a firm push in the direction of the cage. He took a couple of seconds to give Kamryn a reassuring look.

"I'll be okay." The turtle wasn't sure why he said it, but it felt like the right thing.

He rapidly climbed the small set of stairs that led to the platform and walked through the hinged entrance before they could throw him inside. He rolled his eyes at the chorus of cheers from the small group already surrounding the stage. _Ridiculous. They're like overgrown children encouraging each other to scrap on the playground._

The voices got louder as his opponent entered the ring, and the turtle immediately recognized that the human was their clear favorite. He shut out as much of the noise as he could while he stared down the stranger. He was puzzled to feel only a cold awareness that had nothing to do with fear.

"I don't want to fight you," he told the man.

"Good. Then I pound you quickly, and go back to dinner." The man's voice was tainted by a heavy accent, but the turtle had no time to ponder over it before an ear-splitting tone signaled the crowd to be quiet.

An announcement in another language followed, and the turtle was able to pick out his opponent's name and his own number from within it. He flinched when a second tone sounded, and the human tested a fist against his palm.

"I am happy to end this for you, terrapin."

The turtle's arms came up reflexively as his attacker advanced. He felt an intense rush of adrenaline and his entire body was poised to react in a split-second's time. _Where is this coming from_, he had to wonder, before his mind returned to the situation at hand. _What does it prove for the two of us to fight each other? We're nothing but pawns for those idiots to bet on._

He saw the fist flash toward him, and ducked under his opponent's arm. The man recovered from the miss rapidly, but the turtle was two feet away from him before he could even try to hit him again.

"You're quick," the man allowed. "But you can't run forever, terrapin. I'll pin you down. There's nowhere for you to go."

The turtle said nothing, choosing to concentrate on watching the man instead of listening to him. He held his breath as Threl launched another offensive, forcing him to backpedal to avoid several blows. He is trying to get me trapped up against the side. I can't let that happen.

The turtle feigned one direction and rolled the other. Threl pursued him, managing to land a glancing kick to his side. He barely felt it as he regained his feet and assumed his defensive posture.

"They want a show, terrapin. You could at least try." The man's tone was so relaxed that the turtle wasn't prepared for the lightning-fast foot that caught him behind his ankle.

Threl snagged the turtle by the arm as he stumbled forward, and delivered a shocking thrust to his plastron. He felt weightless for a couple of seconds until he was cast violently against the bars, and slammed his chin on the hard platform as he hit the ground.

The turtle groaned softly as he raised his head to find that the world was tilting dangerously, and tasted the sharp tang of blood. A short blast of the overhead tone was followed by Kamryn's voice from the other side of the cage.

"Get up if you can, Virtus! They will call the fight if you can't exit the platform by your own power."

Painfully the turtle rose, bracing one hand against the bars to steady himself on his feet. Kamryn was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, stretching out both arms to assist him. He resisted her effort to help him, and shuffled to the first empty chair he saw.

"What now?" he demanded as the young woman dug inside her bag. "That can't be it."

"No. You have five minutes before the next signal to begin. Don't speak, Virtus. Rest and let me tend to this."

The turtle hadn't realized how badly his mouth was bleeding until he glanced at the cloth with which she was applying pressure. He breathed deeply a couple of times and stayed still so that Kamryn could finish in the allotted amount of time.

The sound of raucous laughter drew his eyes back to Threl's corner. The human was jovial, already celebrating his apparent victory. The turtle noticed a young man hovering nearby the champion, offering him another shot glass. Threl took it and threw a heavy arm across the other man's back so hard that it seemed to crush him.

The younger man sank under the pressure until Threl released him, and then backed away with a bowed head. Threl emptied the shot in one gulp, and slammed the cup down on the table before snapping his fingers around the wrist of the young woman seated next to him.

He pulled the woman toward him roughly, resting a hand against her cheek before brazenly kissing her. Her rigid posture indicated how she felt about the maneuver, but the girl didn't try to escape him.

The turtle shook his head. "He's not very nice to his support people."

Kamryn looked Threl's direction and her eyes narrowed. "Those are his slaves, Virtus."

"His _what?_"

"They're slaves who are bound to serve him."

"He's allowed to take his own kind captive? How does that work exactly?"

"Threl is a champion, Virtus. He fights for glory – not because he is forced to."

Hot anger leaped to the surface as the turtle pushed her hand away from his face. "That changes everything. I need to finish this," he said flatly.

"You're still bleeding. You have time—"

"Kamryn, I can handle myself. Thanks for your concern, but I'll be right back."

The turtle set his jaw resolutely as he returned to the platform without being told. He walked around the perimeter of the stage with the temptation to glare at the jeering crowd that was taunting him, but channeled his anger toward his opponent instead.

Threl grinned wickedly. "Are you ready for another go, terrapin? Or do you wish to keep running in circles?"

"I'm not avoiding you," the turtle replied. "But you're about to wish you'd run away from _me_."

"Now you wish to fight me?"

"More than you know, you oversized _thug_."

The tone sounded over their heads and Threl pointed up. "Here is your chance, terrapin. Don't disappoint me again."

He scowled without answering Threl. The man smirked, and then charged with no further warning. The turtle planted his feet in a wide stance and didn't move, waiting for the opening he instinctively knew was coming. He stood still until the precise moment when he determined the man's vulnerability, and launched off the floor with a roundhouse kick.

The turtle didn't question how he knew the move, or the amount of force to apply. There was only enough time to execute the kick, and then watch Threl's head snap back in slow motion. He stared placidly at his floored assailant, before looking around at the now silent crowd.

_Well, that shut them up, if nothing else._


	4. Tytus

***I'd like to take a moment today to make a shout out for Sciencegal's latest fic, Hacked. For you Donny lovers out there, you're in for a treat. It's a heart-pounding, mind-boggling, emotional fic, and I highly recommend it.**

* * *

><p><p>

The turtle grimaced as he lifted the weighted handle of his pickax, immediately feeling strain in his overextended shoulders. He defiantly drove the tool back into the enormous rock in his path, feeding off the pain instead of folding under it. He ignored both the sweat that was trailing down his neck and the stares of the two Overlords stationed nearby.

The turtle continued his relentless assault for another hour, until Ezra's hand landed on his shell.

"Take it easy, Tytus," the man said in a low voice. "You haven't even taken a proper break."

The turtle sucked in a sharp breath as he scowled at the red-haired man. "I _ain't _giving them the satisfaction of seeing me crack, Ezra. I'm not quitting until those elohim move their sorry tails on."

"They already _have_, Tytus, close to twenty minutes ago. Will you stop trying to prove a point before you kill yourself?"

He buried his pickax in the earth and gave Ezra a dark look. "I think you underestimate me, human."

"I think you're too _proud_, turtle," he argued. "What did I tell you about the Overlords? You can't cross them. You can't disagree with them; at least not to their faces. Did you think I was wasting my breath?"

The turtle folded his arms across his chest, despite the aching burn in his shoulders. "I don't care what you say, Ezra. _Watching_ them beat that kid woulda been the wrong thing to do."

The man looked around swiftly, and focused on him again. "I _tried_ to tell you, Tytus. They don't take well to someone interfering with punishment. It only prolongs the suffering of the slave, in addition to a penalty for the one who tried to intervene."

The turtle grunted angrily under his breath. He would have welcomed bearing the brunt of the elohims' beating much more than the humiliation of being strung up by his shoulders in the middle of the temporary settlement the day before. _But looking back, I don't regret it._

"You don't get it, Ezra. I _couldn't_ just stand there. It was like my whole body was on fire. If I hadn't done something, I would have exploded."

The human sighed. "There's a reason I call you 'Tytus.' You have good intentions, turtle, but you don't know enough to act."

"Apparently no one does," he answered sarcastically.

Ezra looked over the turtle's shoulder apprehensively. "This conversation is going to have to wait."

The man held out a flask toward him, and the turtle took a couple small gulps of water.

"You're thirstier than that, Tytus. Go on and finish it."

"I'm gonna be fine, Ezra. You don't have to keep worrying about me."

"You look like you're going to hurt yourself."

The turtle snorted. "I have to take my anger out on _something_."

Ezra shook his head. "I feel sorry for the rock. Are you honestly all right, Tytus? I know you don't want the Overlords to realize that you're hurting, but it's not worth collapsing to save your pride."

The turtle gave him another dark glance.

"Well, it isn't, no matter what you say."

"I think this conversation is gonna have to wait too," he replied through gritted teeth. Raphael sensed someone coming up behind him, and swiftly returned the flask to Ezra.

"Is there a problem over here?"

The turtle hated the smooth condescending tone of the elohim, and had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from delivering a snide remark.

"No problems, Overlord," Ezra spoke up quickly.

The turtle stiffened as the elohim rested an arm over his shell. He wanted to wrench the Overlord's limb at an unnatural angle and had to talk himself into staying still. _That's just what I need to do, give 'em more reasons to hurt me. I'm not gonna last as a statue either, though. He needs to get his hands off me._

"It looks like you had a productive day in spite of everything," the elohim said.

_If I open my mouth, I'm gonna say the wrong thing. I just know it._

"He's been working extremely hard," Ezra filled in. "This is the first break he's taken."

"You do not have your own tongue today, terrapin?" the Overlord challenged.

The turtle clenched his fists and released a breath before mustering a response. "I'm working here. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Not as long as you _stick_ to working," the elohim emphasized.

The turtle said nothing more as the Overlord withdrew his arm. He stared at the ground while his captor walked away, and felt utterly defeated.

"That wasn't half bad, Tytus," Ezra encouraged him.

He refused to look at the man. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm talked out for right now."

The turtle stalked a couple of paces away with his pickax, and resumed the hard labor they'd been assigned.

* * *

><p>By the time the sun was sinking behind the hills, the turtle could barely move his shoulders, let alone lift his tool of choice. He trudged silently behind the red-haired man, willfully avoiding the gazes of the supervising Overlords. <em>They're just waiting for me to do something; anything to give them an excuse to go off on me.<em>

"Just keep going, Tytus, you're doing fine," Ezra said under his breath. "It's not much further."

_Only a couple more miles – but who's counting?_

The turtle's legs felt ponderously heavy, but he focused on taking one step at a time with a pace that made it seem like a snail could pass him. He caught Ezra peering at him and huffed softly. "Would you lay off? I'm okay. You don't give me enough credit, human."

"I apologize, Tytus, but I've never seen a creature push this hard in one day, after what you went through _yesterday_. I have a lot to learn about you."

The turtle made a scoffing sound. "_I've_ got a lot to learn about me too."

"You're not completely lost you know," the man said matter-of-factly.

"I ain't exactly found either." The discouragement over the loss of his memory weighed down his steps, and he was forced to slow down more. Despite how little effort he was exerting, he could feel his heart continuing to race. The urge to stop was becoming so great that he could no longer put it off.

"Tytus?" Ezra sounded tense.

The turtle waved off his concern as he breathed deeply to try and regain control. "I need a second."

He stiffened as Ezra wrapped an arm around his shell, but he was more distracted by the way his knees were buckling. The man's words buzzed confusingly in his ears. _What the shell is he trying to say to me? Is he still speaking English? _He wanted to ask Ezra what he was talking about, but his mouth wasn't working properly.

He was caught in-between the force of gravity dragging him toward the earth and the arms of his new friend who was attempting to keep him upright. Colored dots flashed before his vision, giving the dusty path a strangely mottled appearance. He shut his eyes to block the sensation, and didn't even realize that his mind was receding.

* * *

><p>The turtle shifted on the lumpy surface, searching for a comfortable position that didn't appear to exist.<p>

"Tytus?"

He opened his eyes, and it took a few seconds for the sloped ceiling to register. Someone moved beside him, and his gaze flicked over to focus on Ezra.

"Well, it's about time." The man gave him a half smile.

"What did…" The turtle trailed off, deciding not to ask the question. Heat rose to his face as the human crouched lower to the ground over the pallet upon which he was lying. "Don't fawn over me. I'm okay."

"Absolutely, Tytus; you're perfect."

He scowled as he rose on his elbows, ignoring the strain in his muscles. "I can do without the sarcasm."

"I see your mood only improves when someone tries to help you."

"Man, just back _off_, all right? I didn't ask for help."

"Would you rather I had abandoned you to the Overlords' care? They _wanted_ to take you, but I managed to convince them I could handle things without any trouble."

"Why?" the turtle asked suddenly.

"Why?" Ezra repeated. "Why what?"

"Why are you taking this interest in me?"

"I told you that I'd help you as much as the Overlords allowed."

"So you befriend all of the new guys like this?"

"No; the tent is not big enough," he said impishly.

The turtle wasn't satisfied with the answer. "Why the shell do you care about what happens to me?"

"I don't know, Tytus. You're different. You have a spirit that won't quit, and I pray to God that you never lose it."

"I don't get you, Ezra. You say I should bow to these Overlords and not to tick 'em off, but then you go and tell me not to lose my spirit. How can it go both ways?"

"We are overdue for this talk, Tytus, but first, I have two things that you need to drink."

The turtle's brow furrowed. "Why two?"

"Because you're dehydrated, and you're also displaying symptoms of the acclimation sickness."

"The what?"

"Most slaves who come to Zuhur and work under these conditions suffer some form of the sickness before they've adjusted to the environment. It's not serious if it's caught before your temperature drops. Take some water first. You'll need more than this, but just drain what you can for now."

He grunted and sat up further to accept a flask from Ezra. As he swallowed, he eyed the steaming bowl the man picked up from the table. "What's that?"

"Something hot for you. It's infused with natural minerals and herbs that should reduce the severity of your symptoms. It doesn't _taste_ good, but it's good for you."

The turtle backed away when Ezra presented the bowl.

"I'm not going to do something to hurt you, Tytus. You're going to have to learn to trust someone."

_The shell I do._

"I give you my word, turtle. I'm only trying to help."

As he stared at the human for a few moments, a rumble of thunder filled up the silence between them. Finally he rolled his eyes. "It's not gonna kill me I guess."

"It's never killed anyone before," Ezra said glibly. "Don't drink it quickly or you could choke."

The turtle struggled to sit up again, but his arms barely supported him.

"Let me assist you." The man's hands were gentle but firm, as if he expected him to resist.

The turtle took a small sip from the bowl, and reveled in the immediate warmth that hit the back of his throat. The bitterness of the aftertaste was so powerful that he nearly gagged.

"I told you it was bad," Ezra said sympathetically. "Take it slowly, and you'll get through it."

He was reluctant to swallow again, but the successive small sips weren't quite as terrible as the first. It took several minutes and _felt _like forever before Ezra took the bowl away. "So, how do you know that this will help?"

"You should rest your head, Tytus."

"Are you trying to hide stuff from me?"

"No, I'm trying to force you to relax. I know that the mixture will help because I've had many opportunities to use and perfect it. I've been here a _long_ time, turtle."

"Then you know it all?"

"When I tell you something, it's not because I like to hear myself talk. There are reasons that I've made it for decades without being forced to undergo reorientation again."

"Don't you just do whatever you're told?" He didn't mean for it to sound derisive, even if that was how it came out.

"It's much more than that, Tytus. It's a matter of learning how to _sound_ broken without _being_ broken."

The turtle's eyes narrowed. "If you expect me to grovel, I'm telling you right now that I won't last around here."

"Let me explain something, turtle. The Overlords have no limit of ways to break you. If nothing else, they'll put you through reorientation until you've got no mind left. The trick is to make them believe that you're an obedient slave…whereas under the surface, you're of a different mind entirely."

"But what's the point?" he murmured wearily. "You've lived here for decades. Is this all you want, to survive as a slave until you finally die?"

"What would be the motivation of surviving if I didn't have any hope of _living_?"

"What hope?"

The man shook his head. "Slowly, Tytus. Some things require patience."

_Great; waiting. Just what I wanted to hear._


	5. Aeolus

The cloaked turtle was seated near the edge of the cliff, gazing at the smallest of a pair of moons setting behind the hills. The larger would be his companion until long after the sun had risen. He was "alone" for the moment, or at least he could pretend that he was. The turtle knew that his every move was observed, even when he didn't see anyone openly watching him.

_This is getting old very quickly, _he thought with irritation. _It still feels like they're hiding things from me. Maybe it _is_ for my own good like Nizar says, but I think I'd rather take my chances and hear everything straight. They want me to work alongside them as an ally, but I can't remember a thing about them, and they don't want to share any of the past. How am I supposed to trust them?_

The turtle rested his chin in one hand morosely. _My memory is there underneath – it has to be. I haven't forgotten everything. Certain elements feel so familiar, even though I can't explain why._

When a caravan had crossed their troop's path the day before, the turtle had felt strangely drawn to the humans. Nizar explained that the people were under the Overlords' protection, and nothing more. He couldn't understand why he identified so strongly with the men and women, while he felt nothing but a cold indifference toward the elohim.

_I would swear that I've never had anything to do with the Overlords, if they didn't keep telling me that I've been with them all along. I may need to accept some things on their word alone, but I'm not there yet. Not even close. _Goosebumps rose across the surface of his arms at the thought.

The turtle resumed gazing at the gray dawn that was breaking on the horizon as a distraction from his ponderings, but the reprieve didn't last. _What am I doing here with them if I don't believe that I can trust the elohim? _He silently continued contemplating the question as he watched sunlight filter over the surrounding countryside.

_What else _can_ I do? I've got nowhere to go, _he admitted to himself. _This doesn't feel like the right time to try striking off on my own, without any knowledge of this place. I've got to stick it out here, at least until I have a handle on things._

The turtle sensed someone behind him and sighed inwardly. He glanced over his shoulder to see the strange orange irises of one of the ducaz. The alien's rough dark green skin wasn't marred by the scars that most of the older ducaz possessed, identifying him as one of the younger individuals. The reptilian creature flicked his tail from side to side as he stared at him unabashedly.

"Can I help you?" the turtle asked shortly. He'd received no end of grief from the only other alien race competing along with him in the trials.

"Do you ever sleep, terrapin? You realize that you will not gain any more points with the elohim by being the first to rise every morning," the ducaz challenged.

The turtle barely repressed an annoyed scowl, refusing to rise to the bait. "I don't care about the Overlords' point system," he replied stiffly. "I just like to have a little time to myself, even if it's an impossible dream."

He climbed to his feet and intended to walk straight past the ducaz, but the reptile intentionally stepped into his path.

"Do you think that you are the first newcomer to attempt to join the Elite before you have officially paid your dues?" the alien asked scornfully.

The turtle folded his arms. "See if you understand the words coming out of my mouth, _ducaz_. I didn't ask to join anyone. I didn't ask to be _here_. The elohim requested that I take the tests, and I've only performed to the best of my ability. If you don't like it, why don't you take it up with them?"

"It is _you_ that we do not like," the reptile hissed. "If you want to avoid trouble, you will make certain that you do not pass today's trial."

"You don't scare me," the turtle replied evenly. "I won't be bullied into doing anything."

"You will regret it, terrapin." The orange glare of his opponent deepened.

The turtle was unimpressed. "Why don't you focus on your own performance instead of worrying over me?"

"I do not worry about you, terrapin; no more than the dust that I crush underfoot."

"Your little threats would suggest otherwise."

The ducaz shrugged and spun around so quickly that the turtle had to jerk backwards to avoid his powerful tail. He shook his head at the retreating form of the alien. _I'm sure that move was intentional. It might be better to try and fly under the radar with these guys, but if I let them believe that I fear them, I'll be stuck under the thumb of the ducaz forever. No, I can't let them intimidate me._

The turtle threw his shoulders back as he jogged in the direction of the camp. He gathered his cloak tighter around his frame and ignored the stares of two more ducaz while he approached the small groupings of elohim. His dark eyes flicked between their tall forms, specifically searching out the blue sash that Nizar wore.

As he was still looking around, it seemed his supervising officer must have been seeking him out as well. Their eyes met almost simultaneously, and the alien strode toward him.

"Ah, terrapin, there you are. Did you make certain the sun rose again?"

The turtle couldn't think of a polite enough answer, so he merely nodded. "Do we move today, Nizar?"

"Patience," the elohim advised. "This day's trial will take place on the very mountainous trails we've been traversing. You seem anxious to get somewhere."

"I like _doing_ things," the turtle replied. "How many more of these tests do I have to go through? They're not winning me any popularity."

Nizar's head snapped around to take in the sight of the ducaz gawking from nearby, and then he turned back to face him. "The others are bound to be intimidated by your superior performance, terrapin. You should not let it bother you."

"I don't care what they think of me," the turtle dismissed. "I'm just eager to learn more about this land and what I'm getting myself into."

"Do you still believe that we are going to lead you off of a cliff, terrapin?"

"I don't know what to believe," he said honestly. _I never will either, until one of you starts being completely honest with me._

Nizar's smile was almost sympathetic. "I understand that you want to know everything that _was_ before, but you have to realize that there is a reason for all that we do. Can you not see that by filling in those missing details you seek, we may only provide you with an impossible standard for you to live up to?"

"What does that even _mean_?"

"It means that you ought to be less concerned with who you were, and more focused on who are you _are_. Experiences can shape you in different ways, but at the core your identity has not changed. It is better for you to walk the path of self-discovery alone than for one of us to tell you who you are supposed to be."

The explanation sounded so logical that it _almost _made sense to the turtle. "Then none of you intend to tell me anything of my old life?"

"It would be a disservice to you if we did, terrapin," the elohim said solemnly.

He wanted to be satisfied with the Overlord's answer, but he wasn't. _The past matters. It has to. Who I was before I came here is significant, no matter what he says._

"You had better get something to eat, terrapin," Nizar encouraged him. "Today's test is going to come early."

* * *

><p>The turtle sensed that he was going to be at a disadvantage in the day's trial. He'd quickly adapted to the rocky terrain, but that didn't change the fact that his opponents seemed to be as much a part of the mountain as the stones themselves. Yet as powerful as the limbs of the ducaz were, he had a sneaking suspicion that he could cover ground faster than them.<p>

It was an unnerving experience for the turtle to abandon himself to the instincts that had won him more than his fair share of the tests. He would have been more comfortable if he had the memories to back up what his body simply _knew_ how to do. _But_ _I don't want to start second-guessing myself. My instincts have brought me this far, and questioning them now would only complicate things._

The turtle eyed his competitors coolly, noting the smaller number of opponents than in previous tests. _Get your head back where it belongs, _he chided himself, and glanced back at Nizar for the signal that would make the beginning of the foot race down the mountain. He felt his body tensing and willfully forced himself to relax. _You're not competing with anyone but yourself. It doesn't even _matter_ if you win._

A flicker of annoyance ran through his mind as the tail of the ducaz to his right snapped against the back of his legs. The turtle shot the reptile a sharp look, but the alien didn't acknowledge him. He clenched his jaw and resolved to ignore the ducaz entirely. He refocused on Nizar just in time to see the elohim raise his hand above his head.

The group lunged forward as one unit, and the turtle watched for an opening in order to make a clean break from them. For a few moments he stayed closely compacted with the other runners on the small trail, and waited for the opportunity to explode.

The turtle felt like he needed to be ready for anything given the threat he'd received that morning, so he wasn't shocked by the tail that whipped in the direction of his face on the first blind curve. He ducked under the intended blow and built momentum for the leap he'd been planning.

The turtle felt air rush him as he cleared the heads of two ducaz running in front of him, with gravity defying force that he hadn't expected to come so easily. He caught his breath when he landed with a soft _thump _ahead of the pack. With no others in front of him, he was free to put on the burst of speed that he'd been holding out for.

The turtle took off without hesitation, not bothering to check the distance he was placing between himself and the ducaz. He'd sprinted for several yards before noticing that he couldn't even _hear_ his opponents. A quick look over his shoulder confirmed that he was alone, and his brow immediately furrowed.

_I figured that I was faster than them, but I didn't think I'd lose them that quickly. Something's wrong here. _The turtle pulled up short and gazed further up the mountainside. The silence was unnerving, particularly when it suddenly gave way to a rumble. He started at the first sign of tumbling rocks, and the building sound which could _only_ mean that something larger was coming.

The turtle took off again, quickly transitioning into a mad dash as he felt stones bearing down on him. As smaller rocks overtook him, he couldn't resist the urge to look back. In the split second it took to see the sizeable boulders, he also realized that he wasn't going to be able to outrun them.

Rapidly he scanned the trail in front of him, praying for a way to escape the onslaught. He couldn't see anything except the steep mountainside, and finally resorted to scanning the thin-air over the ledge. The height was slightly dizzying, but he was surprised by how calmly he was able to face it down.

From the curve he was approaching the turtle could see a bridge that connected his mountain to another, but the drop down to it was far, and the target nowhere near as large as he wished for. With the sound of rocks thundering in his ears, he didn't have much time to debate whether or not he could make it.

He took a deep breath right before he leaped off the cliff, aiming for the opposing flat rock face. Part of him wanted to desperately claw at the stone to find a foothold instead of free-falling the rest of the way to the bridge, but he resisted the fearful reaction. Rather than waste valuable energy on struggling, he allowed his legs to spring off the rock and propel him toward his goal.

The world spun by him faster than he could comprehend. The turtle was startled to see the bridge rushing up to meet him, and hardly had a chance to pull his legs out of a tucked position to land properly. Both arms shot out to help steady himself as the bridge swung wildly upon his landing, and it took him a few seconds to remember to breathe.

The turtle jerked around to look back, first at the massive boulder careening over the edge of the cliff he'd only just escaped, and then to take in the distance he'd covered in the insane leap. Adrenaline was still flowing so strongly that he trembled while he forced himself to cross the rest of the bridge to the other side.

The test was forgotten as he slid against the mountainside, too overwhelmed to take another step. He remained on the ground until he noticed elohim crossing the bridge to reach him, and pride pushed him to gain his feet.

Nizar was the first to reach him. "Are you all right?"

He nodded. "Is everyone else?"

The Overlord gave him a pensive look. "No one is hurt, Aeolus."

The turtle's eye-ridges rose. "What did you call me?"

"You just named yourself, terrapin."

_._


	6. Michelangelo

Michelangelo jerked upright in bed, but the explosive pain in his head made him slump backwards instantly. He was vaguely aware that he'd been shouting a moment earlier, and his heart was racing. The turtle fought to collect himself and sat up a little more slowly, balancing on his elbows. _It was only a dream, _he tried to tell himself, but his psyche was communicating otherwise.

Memories rushed through his mind like a dam that had suddenly and violently burst wide open. Mike braced his forehead in his hands both out of pain and the emotional reaction that was leaping to the surface. As he attempted to breathe normally, the truth behind the circumstances that had landed him in his current "captivity" within the dome dawned on him strongly.

_Everything Ghaniyah told me was a lie!_ _The elohim aren't here to help us_; _they _took_ us! I remember…that ship, and there was a lab. That's where they had everyone else!_

The revelation of events made it more difficult to stay calm when Ghaniyah burst through the adjoining door seconds later. "Azureus, are you all right?"

Michelangelo swallowed hard while rage consumed him, struggling to regain some composure. Inwardly his mind was racing with concern for his brothers and friends, even as he wondered where they could have ended up. _I'm not supposed to remember anything. That was the whole point of that _stupid _machine. If she finds out that I know—_

"Azureus?" the conniving wretch of woman repeated. "I heard you yelling. What is wrong?"

"Nothing," he croaked, forcing the word out. "It was a dream. I was…falling, out of control."

"Are you sure that you are all right? I could call downstairs. They would bring something to help you sleep."

"No thanks, I'm fine. I just need to get some more sleep," he replied stiffly. _I can't let anyone know that my head's on straight, or I'll _never_ get out of here._

Ghaniyah gave him a pained look, as though she actually cared about what happened to him. When she touched his arm, the turtle's stomach turned. He hardly resisted the urge to slap the alien's hand away from him.

_All along she's been acting affectionate, as if I'd really _fall_ for someone like her. What would I want with some freaky alien chick when I've got…Becky! _The panicked thought hit him like a lightning bolt. _Nate. No one's going to know where we are! They've got to be going crazy! Shell, what am I gonna _do_?_

"I don't mind staying with you, Azuleus," she offered.

"No, really," Mike said quickly. "I'll have a harder time getting back to sleep if you do." He gave her what felt like an incredibly fake smile, and he couldn't be sure that the elohim didn't see through it. _But that doesn't mean she knows _why_ I don't want her here. I wasn't that keen on keeping her around _before_ I could remember._

Ghaniyah stared at him silently for what felt like eternity. "You are certain that I cannot help?"

_You _could_ help me escape, no doubt, but you won't be down for that. No, evil space temptress, I'm better off alone, _Mike thought grimly. "I'm sure," he told her. "I mean…I think I need a little space, y'know? Having someone right on my shell constantly has been making me…uncomfortable."

From the emotion that briefly flashed through her eyes, the turtle could tell that he'd offended her. _Not that it makes any difference. I'd curse her to her face, but she'd probably question the change in my mood._

"I understand that you need some time alone, Azuleus," Ghaniyah said finally. "Do not forget that I am close by."

_How can I forget? You never let me out of your sight._

"I will see you in the morning then," she finished.

Michelangelo nodded, not feeling the energy to muster any more false sincerity. Ghaniyah left the room, and he exhaled sharply. The turtle stayed where he was in bed, although he _wanted_ to get up and explore the doors and windows of the apartment for weaknesses. _No, it's not gonna be that easy, _he thought ruefully. _There's no way that they'd leave me an opening like that._

His blue eyes glanced up at the ceiling, lingering briefly on the embedded crystalline fixtures that were so tiny, he could barely see them. _They're cameras, I'd bet my shell on it. It's not like the elohim have much use for "decorations" in this place._

Out of the panic that had first nearly overwhelmed him, Mike was beginning to feel nothing but anger. _If those elohim have hurt my brothers, they're gonna regret it. Of course I have to _find_ them first…and that means getting out of here. _Michelangelo shook his head wearily. _There must be some way to escape. I just have to keep my dang mouth shut about what I remember, and wait for a chance. Tonight isn't going to be it._

Mike looked toward a window longingly. _I can't put off an attempt for long, though. I have to find the guys. They're alive; they must be. The elohim didn't kill me, and they have no reason to kill the others._

With a heavy sigh he laid his head back down. _Ghaniyah called me a "special" guest. They want something from me. This would be a lot easier if I knew what that was. _Mike closed his eyes and the vision of his one-year-old son which passed through his mind made him clench his fists furiously. _How are we going to get home? We are in _so _much trouble._

The turtle shuddered as the impossibility of the situation clawed his chest. _One step at a time, big guy, _he reminded himself. _Don't try to climb a mountain in one leap. Leo and Donny are masters at _moving_ mountains. Find them, and you can figure out what to do next. Or I can let them come up with the solutions and just tag along like the great baby brother I am, _Mike added ironically.

The thought made him smile, however briefly. _I'm not empty. My life is fuller than any of these aliens can imagine, and now I'm gonna have to fight to get it back somehow. I know there are some parts I'm probably not remembering completely. I wonder how long I've actually been here._

Michelangelo wasn't interested in recalling everything that had happened since their rude abduction, but he felt the need to try and reconstruct what he _did_ remember from the night they'd left Earth behind.

He conjured up the Blue Mountains of North Carolina in his imagination, a picture that was forever imprinted on his heart. Their home away from homes, their "refuge" had been shattered by a power he still didn't understand. Summoning the memory of the curly-haired woman he was in love with almost brought tears to his eyes.

_Shell, Beck, you have to be scared and wondering where we went. I kind of wish that I knew too. I feel like an idiot just lying here, but I don't know what else to do for the moment. Okay, focus. That night. What _happened_ that night?_

Mike massaged pounding temples, trying to relieve some of the pressure that was yet punishing him for breaking through the barrier to his memory. He _had_ been dreaming before Ghaniyah came; not of falling, but of _flying_ across the rooftop playground of New York City along with his older brothers. The sky had opened above them to admit dozens of terrifying winged creatures, who'd immediately swooped down to attack them. When he had jolted awake, the stunning realization of his identity and his missing family had come back to him in a painful flash.

_That night_, he prodded his mind. _I'm supposed to be remembering…_The thought faltered as he saw a giant bonfire in his mind. For an instant it looked like the fire was out of control, but then the flames settled to a normal height, and the circle came into view. _We were just messing around. There was nothing special going on. The girls were…_his memory faltered. _Becky wasn't out there. I think she was supposed to be coming…_

Another jolt of anxiety struck his gut at the remembrance of a bright flash. _That was it. It started all of this. There was no warning. One minute it was a nice, normal evening, and the next…there was nothing. _The turtle shuddered in spite of himself. The memory alone was enough to raise goosebumps on his arms. The confusing images that constructed his first waking moments after being accosted weren't worth immediately seeking out.

_The elohim plucked us right off the mountain. But why? What's the point? There has to be a reason. _As Mike made another attempt to rally his thoughts, only weariness met him. _It's going to be too much work for me to manage tonight. I've got to sleep, and then I have to make nice with Ghaniyah. _The turtle grimaced at the idea. _There's no other option._ _I have to learn more from her. I have to find a way out!_

* * *

><p>Michelangelo wasn't sure how long it took him to fall asleep, but he had the feeling it was later than usual when he came around in the morning. He rose gingerly and gazed at the sunlight that was streaming through the windows, before drawing both legs over the side of the bed.<p>

He rubbed his still throbbing head as he rose, and shuffled toward the chair closest to the windows. Mike mutely stared outside at the controlled environment of the dome. A pang of unhappiness weighed down his frame so that he sank down further in his chair. _I don't know how long I'll be able to stand this dome. I think I could do something desperate pretty soon here. _

He was distracted from the scene by the soft hiss of one of the crystalline doors. _Yeah, they're observing me all right. If I needed proof, there it is. _Mike was sorely tempted to ignore his "steward" completely, but he knew that he needed her. _At least for a little while longer._

Mike turned his head and gave the elohim woman the most apologetic look he could manage. "Hi, Ghaniyah," he said softly.

"Hello, Azuleus," she said cautiously. "Are you well?"

The turtle shrugged. "I'm okay. Sorry about last night. I haven't figured out the best way to deal with all of this yet."

Ghaniyah nodded. "The loss of your memory is a difficult adjustment. It can produce symptoms very close to grieving, in addition to frustrating confusion."

Michelangelo bit his lip help control the emotions he was displaying. "Yeah, it's hard. I'm sorry that I keep pushing you away. You're right about the 'grieving' part. I'm not happy."

Her long fingers landed on his shoulder and it took willpower not to jerk out from underneath her.

"It _will_ get easier, Azuleus, I promise. In the meantime, it would help for you to spend more time out of your apartment."

Mike nodded, careful not to appear overeager. _You're playing a part. You're not you. You can't let her _see_ you, or they're going to catch on. The elohim may be evil kidnappers, but I don't think they're stupid._

The turtle got to his feet. "What are we doing today?"

Ghaniyah smiled. "We are not on a strict schedule, Azuleus. What would you _like_ to do?"

_Boy, if I could answer that question honestly…_

"I'm hungry, most importantly," he offered.

"Of course," she said briskly. "It is nearly time for the mid-day meal. I can make arrangements for food."

"Why don't we go downstairs instead?" Mike said casually. "You did say that I need to get out of this apartment more."

Ghaniyah's face brightened. "You wish to eat with the others?"

"Yeah, I'd like that," he answered. _It's time that I got up close and personal with some of the other guys they're holding here._

Mike followed the woman out of the room, grimacing behind her back as residual pain pulsed through his head.

"Are you _certain_ you are all right?" Ghaniyah asked.

_I don't know how she saw that. Hiding this stuff is going to be harder than I thought._

"My head has been bothering me for a couple of days," he lied.

Ghaniyah stopped in her tracks. "You do not need to keep things from me, Azuleus. I am here to help you. Do you believe that?"

_Not a chance, _he inwardly seethed. "I know," Mike said calmly. "But it's hard to open up to anyone when you don't even know _yourself_. I'm trying here, Ghaniyah. I want to trust you."

She leaned so close to him that one of her wing tips brushed his shell. "I am going to prove myself to you, Azuleus. You will learn that you have nothing to fear, if you will give me the chance."

Her earnest gaze made him feel disgusted, but he didn't flinch. "Why do you look at me that way?" he asked, careful to sound curious. "I'm not complaining or anything; I'm just wondering."

She laughed. "You are so unique, Azuleus, and beautiful in your own fashion. I have never known someone like you."

_Wow, she's good. How many other people has she sweet-talked this way? No, the real question is whether this entire act is supposed to be a distraction, or something more serious. I'm going to need to find out._


	7. Rotting & Breaking Through

Virtus was on the verge of going insane. The short periods of time that Kamryn had been able to spring him from his cell for exercise and weight training hadn't been enough to satisfy him in the first place, and now she seemed to have disappeared entirely. He'd been shut up inside the clinical white cell since he'd last seen the young woman.

The mind-numbing boredom was getting so bad that the turtle nearly would have been _willing_ to fight someone, just for a chance to get out. As much he hated being forced to take part in the Matches, he was desperate for something to do. _Even a paper and pen would feel like a luxury. Anything but being almost completely ignored, shut up inside this tiny place._

Food was only delivered once a day by the passage of time that he could determine. He'd learned not to waste any of it, whether he recognized the products or not. He'd come to realize that Kamryn had influenced the semi-decent treatment he'd been receiving up until that point.

Irritation over being left alone was slowly morphing into concern that something had happened to Kamryn. For that reason he was watching the door extra closely today, waiting for the food that would appear eventually. It was wholly apparent that that he wasn't going to get answers without asking for them, and he had every intention of approaching the elohim who dropped off the meal. _Not that I expect anyone to open up the door nicely, but it's worth a shot, _Virtus though distractedly.

The turtle shifted to the edge of the metal frame of his cot, but his eyes never left the door. _It has to be soon. _In the several minutes that followed he felt like he was zoning out again, but the soft hiss from his door indicating that a small hatch had been released was all it took to call him back.

Virtus rapidly gained his feet as the tray slid inside, but he ignored the food and pounded on the door instead. Although the crystalline surface _looked_ fragile at first glance, he'd learned early on that it was an extremely strong material.

"Hey! Come back," he yelled. "Open the door! I have to talk to someone!"

Virtus didn't receive an immediate response, so he resumed his assault on the door. He was relived to see it sliding open a moment later, but then swallowed deeply at the sight of an irate elohim with fire already burning in his golden eyes. Kamryn had warned him that some of the Overlords were easier to anger than others, and it was clear he'd picked the wrong alien to try and engage in conversation.

_It can't be helped, _he told himself. _I've got to find out where Kamryn is, before I go crazy for real._

The elohim's glare deepened in the amount of time it took the thought to cross his mind.

"I trust you have not forgotten how to speak, terrapin. Explain yourself."

"I apologize, Overlord." He mumbled the last word, barely forcing himself to use the respectful title. "I was just wondering about my trainer. It's been days since she's come, and I was—"

"Of what concern is your trainer to me, terrapin? You are a prisoner. You will eat, move, and fight when we say so, and not before. It is not your right to question, but only to be grateful that you have your life for another day."

"I'm sorry," Virtus said with difficulty. "I'm not trying to question anyone. I'm worried about Kamryn – that's all."

"As I said, terrapin, that is not my problem. I expect not to hear another sound from you."

The alien turned without even waiting for him to respond, heading for the door. The turtle lunged after him without thinking, catching the edge of his sleeve.

"Please don—"

The word caught in his throat as the elohim spun and struck him in the face. The blow was startling in both its power and timing, and the turtle was stumbling backwards over his cot before it even had time to register. His view of the room was still spinning when the blunt end of a rod was rapped against his plastron warningly.

"Listen to me well, 626. I am _not_ one of those who are strangely fascinated by your oddity. You are so far beneath me, I will not deign to pretend that you hold my curiosity. Touch me again, and you will _truly_ regret it."

Virtus tensed as the rod came down dangerously, but the elohim didn't act on the threat. The alien swept out of the room in a seamless motion, and the door seemed to close much more loudly than before. The turtle sat up slowly, bracing a hand on the cot for assistance. He managed to get his shell up against the frame and crossed his legs beneath him.

The turtle rubbed his pulsating head with a groan. _Well, that was absolutely pointless. So I'm stuck here without a clue, nobody wants to tell me anything and the one person who _was _helping me is inexplicably missing. I'm sure things could be worse, but I really don't want to tempt the fates at this point by asking how._

His eyes traveled to the tray that was waiting by the door, and he rolled his eyes at the sight of the "gruel", as he'd come to call it. _It's more liquid than food, _he thought grumpily. _I'm not going to let it sit there forever, but it isn't as if it's going anywhere._

Virtus rested his arms on his knees as his mind returned to something Kamryn had told him. _She said that captives have fought their way out of prison by being successful in the ring. If fighting is my only way out of here, maybe I should take it more seriously._

In the handful of Matches he'd been called out for so far, none of his opponents had paid any heed to his proclamation that he didn't want to fight them. _Maybe I should just be ruthless and use every ounce of power inside of me. I know I'm capable of delivering worse takedowns than I have been._

While Virtus had won every fight in which he'd been set up, he knew that he was holding back. _It makes sense not to come on too strongly. After all, I don't even know what I'm capable of yet. _He pondered the idea of leaving a more lasting impression on the elohim forcing him into this position, and then sighed softly.

_It seems like that would be feeding into exactly what they _want_ to see. Am I really going to destroy someone else just to prove how strong I am? That's not me. I may not remember next to anything, but it can't be right. I wouldn't have to talk myself into it._

Virtus carefully got to his feet. _They won't keep me in here indefinitely. This has to be some kind of test or an attempt to break me down. I can't let them get the best of me. I only wish I knew what on earth happened to Kamryn._

He shuffled over to the door and picked up the tray. The watery "soup" had already partially spilled from the way it had been dropped off. The turtle stirred it distastefully before reaching for the light green rock that was supposed to pass for some kind of vegetable. Virtus had found that soaking the bulbous root had the effect of making it slightly more edible.

He dropped the chunk of vegetable into the bowl, and settled back down on his cot to give the root time to soak up moisture. _Things could always be worse, _he reminded himself again. _But they could be a whole lot better too. Something has to happen soon. They didn't just bring me here to rot. At least, I hope they didn't._

* * *

><p>The low-hanging clouds appeared to be threatening rain, and Tytus wished that it <em>would<em> downpour. The turtle was burning from the exertion of their afternoon labor, and would have welcomed the opportunity to cool off. He glared up at the darkened mass which seemed to be posing no purpose whatsoever.

"Tytus," Ezra called urgently.

His head snapped around and he focused on the red-haired man for an instant before realizing that his friend was trying to indicate something behind the turtle. Tytus looked back tensely, and saw two Overlords approaching.

"Terrapin, you are needed," one of them said imperiously.

"What do you want with me?" he asked stiffly.

"You are to follow us," the second ordered.

Tytus snuck another glance at Ezra, and jerked when one of the aliens grabbed his arm. He growled under his breath as the elohim yanked him along behind him, cursing silently as the Overlord refused to let go of his shoulder. He was tempted to dig in his heels, but he knew better than to resist by now. He clenched his jaw angrily while he was half-dragged into an adjacent field, but his expression softened when he noticed a young man being pulled out of a hole.

"We've hit a hard layer that could use your touch, terrapin," the one gripping his arm said.

Tytus said nothing as he got his first real look at the four-foot deep hole, and saw a second young man at the bottom who couldn't have been more than fifteen. He ignored the elohim that were surrounding the hole and climbed down on his own.

The turtle shook his head as he watched the boy futilely beat the soil. "Hey, it's okay, kid," he encouraged him. "You've done your job, and I'll take it from here. Let's get you outta this hole, huh?"

Light brown eyes stared back at him with a mixture of fear and awe.

The turtle gave him a smirk, hoping to put the young man at ease. "I swing a mean pickax. Trust me, you don't wanna be down here when I get started."

The teenager's brow creased, but he didn't shy away from the turtle. Tytus took the tool the boy had been using, and then helped boost him out of the pit. The turtle hadn't been involved in the process of digging the wells so far, but he knew that the entire point was to breach the water table.

He sent another glance over his shoulder at the watching elohim, and rolled his eyes as he returned his attention to the ground. Tytus gave himself to the task of breaking up the rocky layer with gusto, focusing his brunt force on one particular location at a time. The turtle felt some strain in his shoulders, but it wasn't painful enough to distract him.

Tytus didn't hesitate from the work until sweat started running into his eyes. He swiped his forehead with the back of his hand, leaning slightly on the pickax for a few seconds while he caught his breath.

"Terrapin! Do not move," an Overlord called from overhead.

The turtle jumped when a small cascade of water hit him following the command, but then he chuckled. It felt _good_. Rejuvenated, Tytus resumed using the pickax against the stubborn ground. He was past the point of simply obeying the elohim so that he wouldn't be punished; he was bound and determined to see some water. The supervising aliens contributed to pride rising in his heart, but he also he had no intention of quitting until he was successful.

Tytus only paused once more a few minutes later, gazing up at the sky. With the lingering clouds it was impossible to tell what time of day it was. _It don't matter. I'll keep at it all night if I have to. _He took a couple more deep breaths, and brought the pickax down on a specific spot with a thunderous blow.

The turtle was rewarded with a small fissure in the layer, and a soft hiss that him crouching closer to the ground to listen. He grinned at the wetness that met his palm, and swung three more successive strikes to widen the crack. Tytus waved at the two elohim still standing over the hole. "We've got groundwater!"

"You may come out, terrapin," the one on his right proclaimed.

The turtle shoved his tool over the side of the hole, and yanked himself out with a grunt. As he emerged, two more young men were being herded toward the pit. _Sure hope they don't keep 'em busy all night._

"Tytus!" Ezra's voice called. "Are you all right?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Come," his friend invited. "You've been released. I already carry both of our shares of food for the night."

Tytus silently followed the red-haired man across a vacant field, but couldn't help noticing the strange smile that traced Ezra's lips. "What's up with you?"

"You impressed them, Tytus."

The turtle shook his head. "How can you tell?"

Ezra laughed. "It's subtle, I'll grant you, but experience doesn't lie."

"Great. Does that mean I'm gonna be stuck in a hole in the ground for the rest of my life? I guess they found my calling."

"It's all part of the cycle," Ezra said thoughtfully, as if he'd missed the turtle's sarcasm. "The moving, breaking in new ground…It can't continue forever."

Tytus cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

The man looked up at the clouds. "Things on the planet have shifted, changed…only in the last fifteen years. The rain we had a few nights ago, it's very rare nowadays. Most of the land on this world is barren. There is very little water, and it makes crops difficult to cultivate. That's why we have to keep moving to new territory, and searching for more water."

"So what happened?" the turtle asked. "Why did things change?"

"I can't answer that, Tytus; I'm not sure anyone can."

"What happens when they can't find any more water?"

Ezra glanced at the sky once more. "The elohim already have alternatives planned, I'd bet my life on it. What those options could mean for the rest of us is anyone's guess. I don't like to think about it very much."

"How long _have _you been here, Ezra?"

"Longer than most slaves, turtle. As for how much longer this world can sustain life…without an increase in rainfall, it isn't going to last. Of that we can be absolutely certain."


	8. Equipped

***I feel the need to address a couple of things today. You may have noticed that I didn't select a "lead" character for this fic, against my normal procedure. This was intentional. I've done my best to balance the fic between the brothers, and bringing in other perspectives where it was necessary for the story-line. That being said, parts of the story will be heavier on one or two brothers than the others, based on how the plot is moving forward. Events will be picking up with Aeolus soon, and you'll end up seeing more of him than the others. This is temporary. It will all balance out as the story moves on.**

**The other quick note is about the Ruairi, who you're going to start hearing about in this chapter. Whereas the elohim were inspired by an urban legend, and the ducaz partially created by my friend Erin, the Ruairi were the only ones who came completely from my own head. And I can't stand how their name looks in the lowercase. Seriously - it irked me. So even though it's grammatically incorrect, the Ruairi's race will always be capitalized. Feel free to flog me.**

* * *

><p>Acceptance into the Elite brought up more questions than answers for Aeolus. While the elohim appeared to be treating him with a higher measure of respect than before, he was still consigned to feeling like he was on the outside of things. The turtle didn't complain about it; he resolved to stay within his normal range of talking little and observing as much as he could.<p>

Most of the elohim had been huddled up together for the last hour or so, and Aeolus had done his best to ignore them. _I guess they'll tell me what I need to know eventually, but this seems pointless. Why did they bring me onboard this intercept team to start with? And if I hate being handled this way, why in the world did I agree to join them?_

The turtle was pondering the question he'd just asked himself when he heard someone coming. Nizar smiled as he settled onto a flat rock across from him, but the turtle chose not to muster any fake sincerity in return.

"You look troubled, Aeolus," the elohim stated.

"Can you give me one reason not to be?" he asked coolly. "I've just been assigned to a team with a directive that I _don't_ understand, I don't know where we're going, and none of you seem to trust me. How should I feel, Nizar?"

The alien chuckled. "Your patience wears thin. We are preparing to converge on an important target, Aeolus. My comrades and I were discussing recent intelligence, and the best path by which we can reach the Ruairi."

The turtle cocked his head at the name. "Who?"

"The Ruairi, also known as the Rebellion. We received information last week that puts us into the prime position for an assault to cut the monsters off at their knees."

"All right," the turtle allowed. "So these Ruairi are dangerous?"

"They are _deadly_, Aeolus; blood-thirsty and determined to bring harm to innocents. An opportunity like this one is as exciting as it is nerve-wracking if we fail. Then they would surely scatter to the wind, and it would be all the harder to locate them again." There was a note of finality in Nizar's voice, as though the elohim expected the answer to satisfy him.

"But who _are _the Ruairi?" he pressed. "Where did they come from? Why are they attacking your settlements?"

"It is a little complicated," Nizar said apologetically. "There used to be a friendship between the elohim and the Ruairi, more to their benefit than ours. We helped their race and supplied them with everything from medical assistance and their basic needs, to housing and education. We supported them as much as we were able, but their greed grew as the dire prognosis for their people was revealed."

"What prognosis?"

"They are dying out," Nizar filled in. "They have but three remaining generations, and little hope of enduring as a race. They expected us to be able to repair the downward trend in their genetic code, and we were not. When they learned this, their leaders made all kinds of false accusations and twisted the situation as though it could be _our_ fault.

"The Ruairi attack us now in an effort to gain control of our resources, and make us deliver them from extinction."

Aeolus nodded slowly. "Then they'll stop at nothing to try and force you to do something which you've already established is outside your power?"

"That is why we have to take up arms against them, Aeolus. It is why we cannot rest until their deluded leaders are removed. Perhaps then we could reach out to the few masses beneath them, and aid their remaining people to the best of our ability."

"Then you don't consider the entire race your enemy?"

"No, but the Ruairi who followed us to this planet are those that come to make war. Their only purpose is to attack us and destroying anyone who hinders their plan."

"Do they have a chance of defeating your people, realistically speaking?"

Nizar shook his head. "We _far_ outnumber them, but the Ruairi fight with subterfuge and deceit. They attack the weak and the powerless. If they waged open war with us, the Ruairi would fall. But because they choose to strike like rapid fire, we must respond in turn." The elohim laid a hand on his shoulder and stared at the turtle steadily. "Are you prepared to take this leap? You are qualified to stand with us, Aeolus; else you would not be here. Are you ready to take a life when it is required?"

The turtle swallowed as he held the elohim's gaze. "If it means protecting someone else, I can."

"That is the entire point of gathering the Elite, to cut off a threat before it can materialize. There is also the question of weapons."

The last word made Aeolus bristle. "You know how I feel about guns."

"I do – but that is not the type of weapon I am referring to. Come with me, Aeolus."

The turtle rose to follow the Overlord as he led the way inside of a temporary shelter. He slipped through the entrance behind the alien, and stopped when Nizar walked toward a large gilded case that resembled a trunk, but measured almost five feet in length.

"No one will choose a weapon for you, Aeolus. You are the one who should make this decision. You do not need to decide right away, but it is an appropriate time to start thinking about it."

The turtle hovered on Nizar's other side as he opened the case, and peered around the alien to see the contents. His interest was immediately piqued as Nizar stepped out of the way and motioned him to take a closer look. Aeolus ran his hand over a variety of staffs, bows, and hilts, but his eyes lingered the longest on a knife blade that appeared to be nearly a foot in length.

_Not a knife, _he corrected himself. _It's too long. There's got to be another word for it, but I'm not sure…_The thought trailed off as he wrapped his right hand around the jade hilt and drew it out of the chest. The turtle slashed the air with the blade experimentally, instantly sensing a familiarity with the motion. Aeolus felt Nizar watching him, and looked at the Overlord.

"You look comfortable with the blade, Aeolus."

He nodded, adjusting his grip on the weapon with a flick of his wrist. "It feels good," he acknowledged. "What do you call this?"

Nizar smiled. "In our tongue we would say '_suiti_', but the closest English approximation would be a dirk. Keep moving it, Aeolus. I would like to see what you can do."

The turtle took a deep breath. _What _can_ I do with it? That's a really good question. Every day I'm learning new things about myself…and it looks like I'm on the verge of another discovery. _

Out of curiosity he switched the dirk to his left hand and tried out another series of thrusts. With the ease of handling a soft chuckle escaped him. _So it's interchangeable. I can fight with either hand, or maybe…_Aeolus looked at the trunk, and headed toward it again.

"Are you searching for something else, Aeolus?" Nizar asked.

"No, well…not really. Do you think there's another blade like this one?"

The elohim nodded. "When weapons are cast, they usually create several at a time. If you dig a little deeper, you ought to find another one."

The turtle dropped to his knees beside the trunk to make searching easier. Underneath the curved edge of a strangely shaped blade he found another dirk with a hilt cast of gold. He hefted the second weapon, pleased with the perfect weight. As he raised both dirks, something that felt vaguely like _happiness_ twinged in the back of his mind.

"Come over here, Aeolus. We ought to finish outfitting you," Nizar interrupted the moment.

The elohim was holding something that resembled a harness at first glance. The turtle willingly stood still as the alien criss-crossed the straps over his plastron, and then nudged one of the leather flaps on the material.

"You can fit a dirk here across your chest, and the other beneath it if you prefer. If these are the weapons of your choosing, then let nothing separate you from them."

Aeolus nodded soberly.

"I have something else for you. Hold out your right arm for me," Nizar instructed.

The turtle obeyed, and his eye-ridges rose as the elohim snapped a silver-plated cuff over his forearm. The band had no distinguishing markings or design, and it felt a little too tight for comfort. He shrugged his arm as he tried to find more give for the cuff, and then attempted to move it without success. "How do you take it off?"

Nizar shook his head. "You do not remove it, Aeolus. It is a symbol of your status, in addition to a means of protection."

"Protection?"

The elohim gave him a grim smile. "We look after our own, terrapin. You will learn more of its purpose later. For the moment you should go outside and continue working with your blades. You need to get a good feel for them."

The turtle didn't need to be given a second invitation.

* * *

><p>Yasir hummed quietly under his breath as he scanned the small screen that was displaying his subject's life signs. The young woman was close to coming around, he was sure of it. <em>It will be an ideal opportunity to ask some of the questions that have been plaguing my curiosity.<em>

Ebony hair half covered her face, but even so, Yasir found himself admiring her. _She is far from flawless, but for a human being, she is a nice specimen. _The elohim was drawn out of his silent contemplation of the woman by a soft chime.

He turned his attention back to the main computer monitor and sat down at the desk. Yasir pressed the appropriate key to respond to the hail and crossed both arms over his chest. "_This is Yasir_."

"_Good day, Doctor_," Commander Nizar's voice greeted him. "_I am calling to give you an update on the Elite's position."_

Yasir sighed. "_I care not for your battle plan so much as your progress with the terrapin_."

"_He is ready_," Nizar affirmed. "_We are preparing to leave within the hour, and hope to overtake the Ruairi's coordinates within two days_."

"_How do you _know_ he is ready_?" Yasir asked. "_Passing your tests does not make him an assassin._"

The Commander laughed. "_I shared your concern, Doctor, but you cannot see him now. I had him choose a weapon today, and he picked two blades that he can wield at the same _time_. This one was _born_ to kill. Mark my words – he will make an incredible assassin_."

Yasir's forehead creased. "_Have you taken measure to control him_?"

"_I have, Doctor. He is safely banded, and you have nothing to fear. He may serve as a useful tool to us after all_."

"_Do not take him for granted, Commander_." Yasir heard a groan from across the room, and glanced over at the table to see that his captive was indeed stirring. "_I will have to let you go. I was in the middle of something_."

"_I will update you on our progress again tomorrow_."

"_I look forward to it. Take care of our terrapin friend_."

Yasir cut the communication link and walked over to the table, just as the young woman was opening light blue eyes. She jolted upon seeing him, but the clasps covering her arms and legs prevented her from going anywhere. A low curse left her mouth as he rested a hand on her arm.

"There is no reason to get excited, young one," he told her. "It is better to stay calm for your own sake, and for—"

"Don't _touch_ me!" she interrupted contemptuously.

Yasir was amused enough to remove his hand, if only for a moment. "That is a lovely accent you possess. It is a pity you insist on ruining it with course speech."

"If you don't let me up, I'll _give_ you a coarse speech!"

He laughed. "Why would you try to beat against the wind? Can you not see how useless it is to fight? You are not going to escape, and your empty threats do not frighten me."

"You'll _never_ take me quietly," she shot back. "As for my threats – you'll find out how 'empty' they are before this is over."

Yasir pulled over a chair to sit down at her side. "I am told that you can remember all, young one. I do not wish to harm you, but only to gain a few answers."

Her eyes narrowed as if he'd cursed at her. "I'm not telling you anything, you old rotter."

"But if it could reunite you with the friends you love so deeply…"

The woman's face faltered for a beat, wistful longing breaking through hardened features. "No, I don't trust you," she said. "And I'm not answering your questions."

"It does not have to be so hard. The terrapins clearly are not from your planet originally. Where did they come from, can you tell me that?"

He was startled by her derisive laugh. "I could, but I won't."

Yasir forced a louder laugh to try and intimidate her. "Stubbornness will not serve you well. I can only be amused for so long."

"You won't be laughing when _Donatello_ catches up with you!" she exploded.

"Now there is a curious name. Does it belong to one of the terrapin?"

The young woman turned away from him, averting her eyes as if she'd already said too much.

"What harm is there in a name?" Yasir asked. "It will change neither his fortune nor yours. Come, Earthling, tell me. Which of the terrapin has claimed you for himself?"

Her glare returned full force. "I don't need to tell you. You'll find out who he is when he tracks you down – which he _will_."

Yasir patted her head condescendingly. "Little one, you are not home. Your strange friends have no more power to reach you than they do to save themselves."

"You don't know them," she challenged. "They don't quit. They'll never stop. You made a big mistake in kidnapping us."

The elohim shook his head. "I am afraid it is _you_ who do not know us, Earthling. Our technology and knowledge is so far advanced to yours, they cannot even be compared to each other."

"You think what you like," she retorted.

"If you are not willing to satisfy my curiosity, then I am afraid it is time for you to retreat once more," he informed her.

Her jaw clenched in anger as he backed away from the table, sighing inwardly. _We have seen it before. Her delicate condition is behaving as a trigger itself, and her memories will not _stay_ buried. I am going to be forced to employ another measure to contain her mind._


	9. Matched

***For maximum impact, look up the song "They Hit Without Warning" from the Epic Score soundtracks on Youtube, and start it about...half way through the chapter.**

* * *

><p>Virtus had lost track of time, alone in his cell with nothing but questions to keep him company. The turtle racked his brain for what felt like hours on end, but he felt no closer to discovering answers. The mealtime which had helped him judge the time of day before had started shifting without rhyme or reason. <em>Are they just <em>waiting_ for me to go crazy? It doesn't make sense. If I'm worthless, then why not kill me? Why leave me to rot in this hole?_

The sound of footsteps echoing nearby made Virtus sit up a little too quickly. His throbbing head protested, but he ignored the pain as he got to his feet. There had been no squeal of a cart to accompany the individual's approach, so the Overlord's business didn't involve food. _Too bad, _he thought regretfully. He didn't enjoy the meager offerings, but his body relied on them.

The footsteps were drawing closer so he flattened against the wall, trying to get a hidden glimpse of the hall. He took a deep breath when the sound stopped altogether, and was already standing at attention rigidly when someone activated his door. Virtus didn't release the breath as the largest elohim he'd seen yet ducked through the opening.

"You are up – that is fortunate. Get dressed, 626. You are being summoned."

The turtle was ready to accept getting out of the cell for _any_ reason, but he still felt nervous at the alien's words. "Where am I going?"

"You are called for a Match, terrapin. Do not waste any time."

Virtus swallowed anxiously. _They expect me to fight _now_, when I've been locked up for days and half-starved? This doesn't sound promising. _

He reached for the tunic that he hadn't touched since the last time he'd seen Kamryn and slipped it over his head. He fumbled with the belt clumsily as he sensed the elohim standing directly over his shoulder. The turtle was startled when the alien wrapped long arms around his torso, completely engulfing his frame while he impatiently finished notching the belt for him.

The task finished, the elohim spun Virtus around to face him, coolly holding his eye contact. He felt like the alien was trying to intimidate him, and he could admit that the creature's sheer size was impressive. But even now, staring up at an unpredictable captor who likely held his life in the palm of his hand, the turtle refused to flinch.

A soft shimmer of light from underneath the elohim's crisp tunic interrupted the stare-down, and the alien reached for the cord around his neck to withdraw his crystal. Virtus hadn't been granted the opportunity to study one of the devices, but he knew that they served a number of purposes.

The elohim's eyes fixed on the stone for several seconds, traveling back and forth as though he was reading. Then the crystal went dark once more and the alien nodded at Virtus knowingly. "It is time, 626. Your opponent is waiting."

* * *

><p>Dread grew inside Virtus with every step. His "warden" had been silent during the short journey from the cell-block, not giving him any idea of what could lie in store. It was a horrible feeling to not know where he was being taken, much less <em>who<em> he would be fighting. He shook off a tremor at the sight of a large building that was much grander than the Clubs where his few Matches had been held.

Fear pulsed in the back of his mind, but he fought it doggedly. _I can't fold this easily. I won't. Even with everything that's happened, I'm still here. I might _feel_ like crap, but I'm still here. _The turtle's energy was unfortunately lagging. The days of little food had left him weaker than he wanted to think about. _Doesn't matter at this point. If I ate right now, I'd probably never keep it down._

His elohim escort was hovering so closely behind him that Virtus could feel the alien's breath. He rolled his eyes skyward, focusing for a moment on murky clouds. _I couldn't escape from him, even if I _knew_ where I was going. I think his only purpose must be to annoy me._

The turtle's gaze returned to earth as he heard the voices of a large crowd crying out as one, followed by a familiar tone. _That sounds like the same signal from the cage matches, only louder. I think everything is going to be on a larger scale this time around. _

The darkness surrounding the back of the arena seemed foreboding in itself, as if he could be swallowed up in the shadows. Virtus sensed his heart-rate quickening and his breathing sounded unusually noisy in his ears.

Once he'd been bustled into an empty narrow hallway, the elohim leaned closer to him. "There is not much time before the Match begins. If you have a request, make it now."

"A request?" the turtle repeated, confused.

"Anything you would like before the Match begins," the alien explained with a patronizing tone.

"Why don't you at least tell me what I'm coming up against?"

"It is unlikely to do you any good."

"You're not even going to humor me? Why ask me for a request at all?"

The alien stared at him probingly for a couple of seconds, and then shrugged. "Your opponent is one of the ducaz."

The name of the race rang familiar; Virtus was certain Kamryn had mentioned them before. _I wish she was here now, _he thought ruefully. "Is he another captive for your amusement, or one of your 'champions'?"

The elohim shook his head. "You do not waste a crowd this size on two slaves, save for a Death Match only."

"A _what_?"

"It makes no difference, 626. You should fight the best that you can, whether you are pitted against an insignificant insect like yourself, or a champion many times over."

"If I'm nothing but an insect, what am I doing here?" Virtus challenged.

"I should think that you already know the answer to that, terrapin. Move your feet."

The turtle said nothing more as he was forced to obey the Overlord's prodding. While they walked down the long corridor he neither saw nor heard from another living thing, until they reached the small shafts of light that were breaking from underneath a door.

His guard pushed him aside to get in front of him, and released the hatch with a touch from his crystal. The elohim motioned the turtle to go inside first, and Virtus felt a wave of chills as a collective roar assaulted his ears.

The turtle slowly took in the entire arena, his heart sinking further in his chest. He could see the shadowy outlines of figures by the hundreds in the surrounding stands that were separated from the "stage" by bars that stretched several feet out of his sight. The heat inside the space was like an oppressive blanket threatening to smother him. The only lights inside the room were spotting the floor, and no doubt the fight that would be taking place there.

_I hope I survive this, _he thought fleetingly, right before his elohim beckoned him to start moving again. Virtus scanned the rest of the floor, searching for his opponent as he was led toward the dead center of the room. He was already in his assigned place when he finally spotted the regal forms of two more elohim, with a cloaked figure between them.

Virtus looked back, suddenly realizing that his captor had left him alone. The turtle stood stock still as the stranger separated himself from the Overlords, and the alien cast his dark green cloak aside. The creature's reptilian scales had a luminous quality under the lights, and he possessed the muscular scarred arms and legs that spoke of a seasoned warrior.

Virtus yanked off his belt and threw his own tunic aside without looking for permission, warily eyeing the approaching alien. A pair of glowing orange irises glared back suspiciously. _Here's someone who won't take me for granted. Pity. _The motion of the ducaz's tail caught his attention next, and he took another breath as he remembered Kamryn's warning. _Their tails can land just as powerful blows as their other limbs._

The turtle released the fists he'd been unconsciously clenching as the starting tone signaled overheard. "I don't want to fight you," he told the alien, as had become his habit.

The ducaz muttered something unintelligible, shaking his head. The alien moved in a slow semi-circle around him, not attacking outright. Virtus mimicked his motion, understanding that his opponent was trying to get a feel for him. _I'm not attacking him first, if that's what he's waiting for._

The turtle watched the alien closely, searching for signs that he was preparing to explode. The constant motion of the ducaz's tail was a bit distracting, as Virtus kept expecting it to lash out at him. A violent flick from his opponent's tail seemed like more than just a threat. He ducked low to avoid the appendage whipping toward his face, and was met by a sinewy foot that cracked him across the chin.

Virtus staggered but kept his feet beneath him. He backed out of the reptile's next thrust, spinning around the alien's right side to escape the reach of his tail once more. The ducaz seemed patient. The turtle sensed that his enemy would bide his time, and not risk opening _himself_ to unnecessary risk. _I'm patient too, buddy. _

The ducaz pivoted on his feet as Virtus stayed just out of range. His stillness didn't last as long as the turtle had anticipated. The alien lunged and threw blows simultaneously, which the turtle blocked so automatically that he didn't have to think about them.

Virtus wasn't prepared for a long-fingered hand to catch his right wrist in a vise-like grip. He fought to free his captured hand as he stopped another punch with his left arm. The ducaz yanked him rapidly and a knee buried into his forehead as the turtle stumbled.

The miniature explosion from the connection cut off everything else temporarily. When Virtus blinked he found himself on his side in the dust, his head pounding more intensely than it had yet. He heard the warning tone from somewhere overhead and remembered what he needed to do. If he didn't get up, it was over.

_Would that be so bad? I don't want to fight him. I've got nothing to gain from any of this. _As he contemplated staying down, an inner flame deep down refused to go out. _You're not finished. You don't accept defeat while you're still breathing._

The turtle got to his feet, wiping dust off his hands as he straightened up to face his opponent. The ducaz nodded at him grimly, but held his position while he waited for the signal that would restart the battle.

Virtus stared at the alien long and hard, fighting with the swimming sensation inside his skull. He was unsteady, and felt nowhere near ready to resume. _But I don't have a choice. It's either try this, or lie down and give up. _The sound of the tone made him wince. _Here we go again._

The alien swerved right and left, and the deft movement of his tail made Virtus paranoid. He was ready when the ducaz swept toward him this time and landed a powerful elbow strike into the reptile's gut. The alien appeared to falter, but even as he took a step backward he lashed out with his tail.

The reptile's appendage slammed him directly in the eyes. In the instant blindness that followed something struck his plastron like a freight train, throwing him to the ground with a power that made the earth seem to shake.

_Spiraling out of control, hurtling toward the painful obstacle in his path. Glass breaking, shattering suddenly, and he hardly had time to protect his eyes. His violent flight continued in slow motion, head spinning so that he wasn't aware of anything else until he struck something solid with explosive force._

The rapid-fire images of a memory cut off abruptly as the turtle heaved for breath, struggling for several seconds before he could find it. His eyes were open, but his surroundings were blurry and indistinct. Part of Virtus wanted to pursue the scene that had flashed briefly through his mind, but the overhead tone reminded him that he didn't have time to lie there. He almost hoped that he wouldn't be _able_ to move; that something would be broken so that he could give himself an easier out. His stubborn limbs responded when he commanded them to act, and he was forced to work his way back to his feet.

Virtus got up more slowly than before, blinking several times to see if it would aid his flailing eyesight. There was little improvement, and he didn't feel like he could do anything more than stand in one place. The turtle finally closed his eyes entirely since the foggy effect was only making him feel dizzier.

The ducaz would be coming for him, and the turtle knew he wouldn't be getting back up from another blow like the last two. Virtus listened blindly and heard scattering pebbles, as well as the soft _swish_ of air that his opponent's tail made when it moved.

With eyes tightly closed, he waited for something to happen. The ducaz had to be within striking range by now. All of his reason told him to open his eyes, but cloudy sight and the constant distraction of the alien's tail would be of no help to him. He sensed the motion of a blow coming toward his face and bent backwards to avoid it without moving his feet.

Virtus concentrated on the energy he could muster, tensing as he felt the wind of his enemy bearing down on him. He threw a block with his left arm that caught the ducaz's fist, and immediately crossed over with a right hook. The turtle knew he'd struck something solid, but he suspected that it wouldn't be enough.

With a determined cry he ducked his head and bulled forward into his enemy. The turtle's ears rang painfully as he crashed into the ducaz's skull, but he knew his opponent had received the worst of the blow. At the sound of the alien's collapse Virtus opened his eyes, gazing down at the hazy image of his downed foe.

The turtle locked his legs to remain standing while the warning tone sounded, but the ducaz never stirred. With the final signal that indicated the end of the match he released a shuddering sigh and slumped to the ground.


	10. Treating

A sharp stinging pain made Virtus jerk, and movement made the sensation _worse_. He groaned through gritted teeth and reached up to massage his aching head.

"Easy does it, Virtus," a soft feminine voice greeted him.

Startled, he opened his eyes to find that his vision was still a little cloudy. Even so, he instantly recognized the young woman kneeling beside the cot. _My cot_, he realized. The turtle was lying in his own pitiful excuse for a bed, and his long-lost trainer had suddenly returned.

Virtus released a shaky breath as the thought of pain fled from him. "_Kamryn_," he said gladly. "You're here."

She settled further back on her legs with a quizzical look, as though uncertain he was actually happy to see her. "Yes, I'm here. I'm so sorry, Virtus. I never wanted to leave—"

He held up a hand to stop her apology. "I'm just relieved you're okay, Kamryn."

"You're glad I'm…You were worried about _me_?"

"Of course I was," he told her. "I know that these elohim aren't the nicest characters. You told me that they've experimented with you before. What did you expect me to think? That you'd abandoned me altogether? We're both unique. We've got no choice but to stick together." Virtus expected a small chuckle for his attempt to lighten her up, but the young woman's reaction was the opposite.

A quiet sob tore from her throat, though she tried to muffle the sound. Kamryn sank into a cross-legged position on the floor as the turtle watched her with confusion. He grunted with exertion while he tried to sit up further, and the young woman's head immediately turned to him.

"Don't you dare," she ordered with all the firmness she could muster. "I'm sorry. I was nowhere near finished with you, and _you're_ not close to being ready to get up."

"Kamryn, what's going on? I didn't mean to offend you. I meant unique in a _good_ way."

She laughed mirthlessly. "You didn't offend me, Virtus. People don't usually…" Kamryn trailed off slowly. "Even my own kind act like I have some weird disease, all because of what the elohim have done with me. I have no one, and no home to call mine. Now you come along, and you actually _care_ about what happens to me?"

Virtus started to nod, and thought better of it. "Yes, Kamryn, I do. You're my friend, and you don't have to be sorry for crying."

She shook her head, breathing hard through another sob. "I feel like an idiot…but you don't know how long it's been since I had a friend."

"People don't know what they're missing," the turtle said honestly.

The young woman rubbed her eyes fiercely. "And my timing couldn't be worse. Here are you are lying in this state, and I'm only thinking about myself."

"You're the least selfish person I've met here, Kamryn."

"Just the same, I need to focus on _you_."

"How do I look?"

"Nothing serious is broken," she volunteered. "But that head of yours appears to have taken a lot of abuse. Can you stay still for me, Virtus? I was hoping I could finish the stitching while you were unconscious, but it didn't happen."

The turtle waved off the statement. "I'll be fine, Kamryn. I could probably do some of this work myself."

"No, you won't," she said evenly. "This definitely falls under my job description. _Your_ job is to rest and not lift another finger."

Virtus' eye ridges rose as the woman brushed away a trailing tear. "Kamryn, I know something's not right here. Is it possible for you to treat some of these things and talk to me at the same time?"

Kamryn gave him a forced smile. "Lay your head down. Do you mind not being able to see while I work? You've got two black eyes, and I think some ice would do you good."

"So _that's_ what happens when a bulldozer runs into your face," he muttered softly.

"A bulldozer?"

"The ducaz," he replied. "He got me with his tail. And you never answered my question. Do you not want to talk to me about this stuff?"

The young woman grimaced. "I know I owe you an explanation, but I'd rather focus on treating you first. I'm not a medical professional, but there are things that every trainer is expected to be able to do."

"I'm not looking for perfection," he said. "Any help would be great, and I'm actually pretty hungry too."

Kamryn exclaimed something under her breath that sounded distinctly foreign. "They weren't meeting your needs properly in my absence, were they?"

"Barely," Virtus admitted. "The Match tonight was the first time I've been outside since I saw you last."

He heard the sound of her foot striking the floor in frustration. "They don't even give you a fighting chance! They neglect you for days, and then set you up with one of the top 20 champions. Hideous, despicable…" Kamryn sighed deeply. "I hope that you won't let this Match discourage you, Virtus. You weren't on a level playing field with that ducaz, and they made sure of it, the cowardly, conniving—"

The woman probably would have continued her rant if the turtle hadn't raised his head again. "Are they trying to say that I lost?" He felt downright indignant. "I went down all right, _after_ the ducaz failed to get back up. The final tone sounded before I ever hit the ground!"

Green cat's eyes widened as Kamryn's mouth hung open slightly. "You…defeated the ducaz? No one told me either way; I only assumed so, based on your condition."

"He beat the shell out of me," Virtus acknowledged. "But I took the fight in the end, and I'll argue to the death with someone who says differently."

Kamryn's face mirrored amazement. "I don't mean to be shocked, Virtus; it's only that this particular ducaz is one of the best."

"I could tell," he said dryly. "It wasn't a fun Match."

"But you _won_. That has to tell the elohim something."

"About what, Kamryn?" He fought to keep his voice steady. "What kind of point am I going to prove? How long can they keep feeding me into Matches before I get seriously hurt? Is there a purpose to any of it, or do I only exist for their amusement?"

"I wish I could tell you," she replied. "Could you try to stay still for me?"

He rested his head compliantly, closing his eyes as she applied a soft, thin piece of material over them. The turtle could feel a chill seeping through it, but it didn't prove intolerable.

"Now, I do have a couple of mild drugs in my possession, something that could offset—"

The red-flag that went off in Virtus' head almost made him scramble to his feet. "No, no drugs! Just clean and close please."

Kamryn had backed away when he resisted her, and looked hesitant to move.

"I trust you to do this, all right?" he assured her. "Don't worry about hurting me, and I'll try not to make any more sudden moves."

Slowly she reached to retrieve the ice-pad he'd disturbed and gave it back to him. "I'll try not to hurt you badly."

Kamryn resumed the work she'd started while he'd been out, and he stayed silent. It seemed that she was more comfortable only focusing on one thing at a time. The turtle couldn't withhold every reaction to pain, but he did his best to display as little as possible while she carefully stitched his forehead.

"There now." She breathed in relief, as if she'd been in pain herself. "That was the worst of it."

"Can I sit up?"

"I really think you should _rest_, Virtus. I'll put a call out for food, and you can get up when it arrives. How does that sound?"

"If you'll talk to me in the meantime, then I'll stay put," Virtus agreed.

"I'll be right back," she told him.

Still blinded by the pad covering his eyes, he heard Kamryn's quiet footsteps walking away from him, followed by the hiss of the hatch. The woman had only been gone for a few seconds when he heard her returning.

"They had someone stationed outside the door, as if they knew I'd be coming. I don't understand the dealings of these elohim, Virtus. Truly, this is the strangest circumstance that I've ever been in."

"I hope you don't have to suffer on my account."

"No," she said instantly. "It isn't like that, Virtus. I worry for _you_, though it seems that I am more affected by your treatment than you are. You must be one of the bravest creatures I've ever met."

"I don't know if I can cop to that," he said wryly. "Are they going to let me eat?"

"Oh, yes. It's on the way."

"Thank you, Kamryn."

"You don't have to thank me," she returned. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were furious."

"Why would I blame you for the elohim? You don't control them."

She sighed noisily. "No, I'm a slave too. My leash is simply longer. I _never_ would have left you alone for so long."

He heard emotion building in her voice again. "Kamryn, what's _wrong_? What happened to make you this upset?"

She took such a long time to respond that he was starting to wonder if she was going to answer him. "I was in the Medical compound, twelve days."

"In the Medical compound? Why? Are you sick?"

"My situation is complicated, Virtus. I told you that the elohim experimented with me. On the outside you can only see small signs of their tampering, but inwardly…things aren't settled. They never will be."

"What does that mean? What kind of lasting impact are you dealing with?"

"I will never live a 'normal' life, Virtus. My body requires regular medical intervention from the elohim to keep me stable, for the most part. Except when I experience a molecular failure of such magnitude that I am dependent on a machine for days at a time."

Virtus reached up to remove the ice-pad, blinking rapidly so that he could see her. "Is that what just happened, Kamryn?"

She nodded. "It isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. This experiment has nearly killed me on a number of occasions. Sometimes I just wish…" Kamryn paused as she looked at the floor. "I don't know what their point in keeping me is either. I'm nothing but a failed experiment. I seriously doubt they learned anything, except how _not _to create a hybrid."

"Is _that_ what they did to you, Kamryn? They attempted to splice your DNA with something else?"

"An Earth animal," she answered. "It's not as if they have any animals to pull from _this_ planet."

The turtle's brow creased. "There are no animals on Zuhur?"

"Not for a long time, as I understand it. The elohim don't like to eat them, so they consider the beasts to be an unnecessary drain on natural resources."

"What did they do with all of them?"

"I don't _want_ to know the answer to that, Virtus. Sufficed to say, the animals were gone long before I was born."

"Were you born on this planet?"

Kamryn nodded. "I'm one of many slaves who have never laid eyes on the world of my origin."

"The elohim allow the slaves to procreate?"

"Allow?" She snorted. "It's practically forced. The process of breeding makes it easier for them to maintain a legion of slaves, and it doesn't force them to steal all of their workers from somewhere else."

"So this planet is the only home you've ever had."

"That is correct. This is the life I know."

Virtus felt indignation rising once more. "What gives them the right to control someone's destiny?"

"Right has nothing to do with it. Take it easy, Virtus. If I'm upsetting you I don't need to continue."

"I _want_ you to continue," he said quickly. "You've done a lot for me, and I don't know hardly anything about you. Do you have a family?"

"No. I was separated from my mother shortly after she gave birth to me, as is custom. I never knew my father either."

"How did you end up as a trainer?"

"After the failure of my genetic experiment, it was deemed that I wasn't fit for regular work. At the same time, it doesn't hinder me from pushing someone _else_ to exercise. There are always plenty of openings in this department. Most of the slaves to the Matches don't receive personal attention of any kind."

"I'm curious about something else, and you don't have to answer this. You said that you're still similar to a human on the _outside_. Did you retain anything beneficial from their genetic manipulation?"

The young woman clasped her hands nervously, looking down. "My senses were affected, most notably. Eye sight, hearing, things like that. There are other effects, but I don't like to…experiment with them. Honestly, part of me is afraid that if I cross a certain line, there might be no getting it back. That if I give in to it, I could lose my rational side completely, and then…"

Virtus realized that there was much more to her condition than just a "failed" genetic experiment, but it was also clear that she wasn't comfortable talking about it.

Kamryn shuddered. "I feel like there's a wild animal inside of me, and if I try to take advantage of whatever strength might lie there, it could overtake my humanness. Does that make any sense to you?"

Virtus nodded. "You're afraid of losing control to unnatural force that you don't understand."

"I don't think the elohim even understand," she said bitterly. "It's as if they try things just to see what will happen, regardless of the possible consequences."

The turtle stared at the young woman, reading weariness but also resolve inside her unique eyes. "Maybe you don't have anyone else you can trust, Kamryn, but you can put faith in me. I won't betray you."

She gave him a sad smile. "Nor I you. I just hope that I can find some way to get you into the elohims' good graces."

"So I can be their slave somewhere else?"

Her face fell. "I don't know what the answer is for us, Virtus."

"Neither do I, but at least you're out of the hospital and I'm still in one piece. We can be grateful for today, if nothing else."


	11. Raid

***...And here we go. **

* * *

><p>Aeolus hardly spoken more than ten words as he rode in the back of one of the land cruisers. The elohim were content to let him be, and he was satisfied to be alone with his thoughts. The turtle didn't fear the upcoming raid. The only thing presently registering in the back of his mind was a growing sense of anticipation and eagerness to arrive at their destination. <em>Any act which can prevent the loss of life has to be better than open war, especially where innocent people are concerned. It has to be.<em>

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon when he felt an unexpected shift in the smooth acceleration of the craft. Aeolus sat up straighter as he saw Nizar crossing through the threshold.

"How are you feeling, Aeolus?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "Are we stopping? I thought you said we would reach their coordinates today."

"By later _tonight_," the Overlord corrected. "And yes, we are stopping. We still have some distance to travel, but the land cruisers will serve us no longer. Can you imagine the reason why?"

The turtle looked out the window at the barren landscape of sand and rock. "Our approach would be too noticeable?" he suggested.

"Good, Aeolus. Yes, the only way to carry out a raid of this nature is under the cover of darkness and on foot. I think that it is time to properly introduce you to the Ruairi."

The turtle almost rolled his eyes. _They seem to be determined to withhold information until the last possible minute. I don't understand it for the life of me, but I hope they learn to trust me at some point._

"That would be helpful," Aeolus said evenly, trying not to give away his irritation.

Nizar motioned to the crystalline screen on the wall, and the turtle watched him type on a set of characters that were completely foreign to him. Even as the elohim searched for what he wanted to show him, Aeolus felt distracted.

_If what they claim is true and I was always a member of this army, why don't I remember any of this stuff the way that I do English? I feel this unexplainable familiarity with some things, but _nothing_ related to them. I can't accept that they're being honest with me._

"Aeolus," Nizar called.

The turtle looked up at the screen to see a creature that bore no resemblance to anything he could recall ever seeing. The alien looked like a stick figure to him at first glance, with limbs that seemed entirely too thin to support his frame. The creature's skin was a ruddy brown, and upon closer inspection Aeolus could see darker flecks of pigmentation. Glossy dark hair was pulled back tightly from his face, making it difficult to determine the length.

The Ruairi was neither as tall as the elohim nor his own height, falling somewhere in-between them with a less muscular build. Multifaceted feathers of various shades of red, brown, black, and white made up an impressive pair of wings that appeared large enough to engulf the entire creature. The alien's face was drawn up in an animalistic grimace, but there was intelligence in his gold-rimmed eyes. His dramatically hooked nose spoke more of a bird to Aeolus than anything else.

Nizar was silent while the turtle closely studied them image.

"What's their nature?" Aeolus finally asked. "Are you going to prepare me for this?"

"They are wild and unpredictable, Aeolus. They were not the brightest creatures before we intervened, and they do not engage in very much intellect now. Rather it seems their inane instinct to hunt and destroy is the only thing that drives them. The Ruairi are stronger and more agile than they look, but you are not one to underestimate an enemy, are you?"

Aeolus shook his head. "If you're certain that I'm ready to face them, then I'm with you, Nizar. But with as little as you've shared with me, I feel as if I'm not wanted here."

"It is not that we do not want you, Aeolus. If that was so, we would have left you behind. I am trying to allow every opportunity for your old instincts to resurface, and yes, that means keeping you in suspense as a result."

Nizar motioned for him to follow him, and the turtle disembarked from the land cruiser behind the alien. "We received intelligence that a small troop of Ruairi has taken cover at the coordinates we are moving toward. They are said to possess a weapon which they intend to use in a terrorist strike. Our objective is to dispatch them all, and shut down the existing threat.

"We have another four miles to cross, and it will be well after nightfall by the time we reach them."

Aeolus nodded, resting one hand on the hilt of a dirk. "What kind of numbers are we facing?"

"The report came back of a compact unit of no more than a dozen. That is the trouble with these cowards. They can strike with their smaller numbers and their weapons, and still leave a negative impact."

"Then we outnumber them two to one?"

"There is safety in numbers. If we cannot work together as the Elite, there is no point in chasing the Ruairi to begin with."

The turtle was quiet as he watched the elohim fall into their appropriate ranks. He felt awkward and out of place, as though it was the last situation he belonged in. At the same time, he couldn't deny his natural prowess with the blades or the agility that had shot him so far ahead of the young ducaz warriors.

_I'm a fighter, _he told himself. _I have been for a long time. There's no doubt in my mind that I've been involved in assaults and defense before. The urge to protect is strong, even though I don't feel any kinship with these elohim._

Aeolus easily kept up with the rapid pace of the elohim when they started moving, despite their height difference. _Maybe tonight will answer some questions for me. Maybe being in a battle alongside the elohim will make up for the dissimilarities I sense between us. _

_The elohim could have made this experience easier for me, but maybe they're right not to. This sort of feels like a 'coming of age' to me. Perhaps when I've proved myself, I'll be less of an outsider on the fringe of things, and more like a real member of the team._

He sighed inwardly. _That's all good and well, but the job comes first. Whether or not my standing changes is of little consequence if the mission isn't successful. _

Aeolus was near the back of the group, jogging with Nizar and another elohim directly in front of him. He felt a momentary twinge of annoyance, wishing that he was closer to the front where he could see better. _Not that it would do me any good. I don't have a clue where we are, or where we'll end up. _That didn't change the fact that he wanted to view the land in front of them and get an idea of the dimensions of the target they were approaching.

_You're acting like you're the one in charge, _he admonished himself. _The elohim know what they're doing. Follow their lead and focus. They know a lot more going in with these Ruairi than you do._

What had been flat wilderness was becoming hillier, and sand was giving way to more rock that stretched into the distance. The elohim walked the new terrain with purpose, and Aeolus obediently followed.

All of the land was dark by the time they reached the first shadowy outcropping of rock and soaring cliffs. Nizar gave him a view finder so that he could get a glimpse of temporary shelters that appeared to be erected in between the rocks.

"They have no intention of remaining here much longer," Nizar said with certainty. "There is very little water in this region. No doubt they would have been marching on one of the settlements before many more sunrises had passed. You know what you must do, Aeolus."

The turtle faced him resolutely. "We've been over this. What else can I say to you?"

"Nothing. It is time for us to move in as silent as shadows and invisible to the naked eye. Try not to stray far from my side, Aeolus."

* * *

><p>Achaz smiled grimly at his retreating messenger.<em> Those blasted elohim have finally taken the bait. I expected them to come sooner, but no matter. By dragging their feet they only provided more time for our number to grow.<em>

The Ruairi warrior swept quietly outside of his shelter onto the ledge, his eyes scanning the rock face of their refuge. He nodded his head at the golden-haired elohim who was standing rigidly nearby. "_You must remember to stay out of sight, Bahri._ _Do you still question the ability of my forces to deal with these so-called 'Elite'?_"

The elohim shrugged helplessly. "_They are not called Elite without reason_."

"_That may be true, but we are prepared for them. The fools think they have the advantage, but they are following my exact bidding." _Achaz noted a small flash from a ledge across from him, and gave his elohim friend a small push. "_Go. Stay away from the battle. You are far too vital for us to risk losing_."

Achaz watched the tall figure of the elohim disappear between almost invisible cracks in the side of the mountain, and waited for another signal. His Ruairi knew what they were supposed to do and where they needed to be. The maneuver had been plotted and nearly talked to death with their elohim allies for weeks. Now all he was hoping to see was the next light that would alert everyone to the Elite moving in, and the carefully laid plans coming to fruition.

The world seemed to stand still as the very air went deadly silent. _Come on then, _he urged inwardly. _Show your faces, you murderous wretches. We will destroy you _all_. _He traveled to the edge of the chasm when he saw a trio of lights blink simultaneously, confirming his deepest desire. They were here.

Achaz flipped a visor over his eyes and he could see his enemies' shadows standing out like beacon lights from his hidden position. _Yes, come down, all of you. I will just stand here until you are where I need you to be. _His men would wait for his own signal, which he was eager to give, before attacking_. _He chuckled at the sight of the Elites' numbers, which were about to be drastically reduced. Not until their figures were beginning to spread out across the floor of the canyon did Achaz display his light.

In the blink of an eye the ground below was alight with dozens of beacons, cutting through the darkness with a swiftness that even Achaz hadn't anticipated. The laser assault came from every direction surrounding the rim of the canyon, and the elohim had placed themselves dead center, just as he'd intended.

The Ruairi leader discharged his rifle with satisfaction, enjoying the thought of elohim writhing in pain before they died. Victory was certain; a small one by the opinion of some, but important to Achaz nonetheless.

With his visor he could see the enemies that had already been cut down. A chuckle was just sounding in his throat when a great weight plowed into his back. Achaz pitched forward onto his knees, losing his grip on his visor and rifle in an instant. Both items clattered down in the rocks below him, and he barely had time to gasp before he was snatched off the ground and forcibly turned over.

Even without the aid of the visor, Achaz realized that his attacker _wasn't_ an elohim. His mouth opened but no sound came forth while he stared unabashedly at the muscular figure standing over him. It took several seconds for him to take notice of the blade hovering within an inch of his throat. The battle-hardened stance of the creature left him no doubt that the stranger would kill him, and yet, his opponent didn't move.

Achaz was growing weary of staring death in the face, when the creature suddenly cast a second blade to the ground.

"Pick it up, Ruairi," his enemy ordered contemptuously. "Let's find out if you can _die_ with some honor."

Achaz was shocked by the opportunity being offered, but even more by the English that the creature spoke. _This being is not human, not elohim…Where in the name of El did he come from?_

"I don't have all night, Ruairi," the stranger said dangerously. "Pick it up!"

Achaz grasped the hilt of the dirk and cautiously got to his feet. As he faced his opponent with trepidation, he saw a welcome flash directly above him. "_Set for stun_. _Do _not_ kill him_," he ordered his sniper, never taking his eyes off the creature in front of him.

Achaz stiffened as the alien started to circle him, but the shot of his rescuer rang true. His attacker's body went slack before he slumped sideways and hit the ground with a powerful _thud_.

The Ruairi approached him slowly, nudging the figure with his foot. He held his breath as he crouched down beside the alien and rolled him back over. He snatched his light from his belt and checked to make sure the stranger was breathing.

He stared in open amazement at the creature's form, shaking his head with anxiety. _What _is _this? Did the elohim finally achieve a hybrid? _Achaz noted the band clasped around the alien's forearm and heaved a deep breath.

"Achaz!" The sniper descended onto the ledge, and rapidly refolded his wings as he approached them on the ground. "_Why do you want this one alive? I thought we were to kill them all._"

"_This is not an elohim_," Achaz returned. "_Look for yourself, brother_."

The Ruairi cast an astonished look over the creature, his rifle still poised protectively. "_What manner of alien is he_?"

"_I do not know, but he chose to address me in English, and he wears an energy binder. That makes him little more than a slave_."

"_Doing battle alongside the Elite_?"

"_It makes no more sense to me than it does you. I want you to take charge of this one temporarily. See that he is bound, and do not leave him alone. I must make certain that the rest of these elohim are finished."_


	12. Ruairi

When Aeolus opened his eyes his breath immediately seized inside his chest, as he was struck by darkness and the feeling of suffocating. The turtle fought to calm down and realized some material was simply obstructing his vision and partially smothering him.

His shoulders were in an uncomfortable locked position, but when he tried to move the pain only intensified. A soft cry left his mouth before he could cut it off, and he heard a strange voice murmur something in another language. It sounded like the speaker was standing directly over him.

Irritation leaped to the surface, but the turtle resisted the urge to struggle. Based on the pain caused by his movement, Aeolus had a feeling any serious attempt to break his bonds could result in significant damage to his arms.

He heard the voice again. The creature spoke louder, but he still couldn't understand what he wanted to communicate. "I don't know what you're saying, so you may as well save your breath." The turtle heard someone speak from further away, and detected the faint reverberation of footsteps on a metal surface.

"You work together with the Anunnaki, but you cannot understand their speech?" the newcomer challenged.

"I don't know who you're talking about," the turtle said honestly.

"Perhaps you only know them by the name with which they exalt themselves," the alien returned disdainfully. "These days they choose to be called 'elohim', but their _given_ name will always be remembered by us."

Aeolus stiffened when he sensed both captors leaning over him. "Are you Ruairi?"

"We are," the same speaker replied. "The question is, what are _you_?"

The turtle wasn't sure how to answer, so he stayed silent.

"It will be difficult to move forward if you cannot answer so simple a question as to your race, if indeed you have one," the Ruairi continued.

"What do you mean by that?" Aeolus was instantly offended.

"Your coming to us is an extraordinary event," the alien explained. "We have many questions, but one must wonder if you even _have_ the answers."

"I don't…" Aeolus faltered, confused by what his captor was inferring. "I don't know what you're insinuating. Where are the other members of the Elite?"

"Dead," the Ruairi said coldly. "You walked into our trap."

"Then…why let me live?" the turtle asked.

"Whether you be alien or experiment, my fight is not against you," the creature said.

"Experiment? What are you _talking _about?"

"We are going to help you sit up," the alien told him. "The fashion in which you are restrained will prove excruciating if you resist."

Aeolus swallowed but remained completely still as two pairs of arms hauled him upright off the floor. His legs felt a bit weak, but the Ruairi never left his side. The turtle was guided to sit down on a more comfortable surface, and he was relieved when the thick material was pulled off his head.

Aeolus looked around the dimly lit interior of another land cruiser, and then was met by the intense gaze of a Ruairi. The creature's eyes were piercing black orbs, but they were rimmed by purest gold.

"Do you know who I am?" the alien asked.

The turtle shook his head slowly.

"I am the Ruairi you assaulted on the cliff."

Nerves rose further inside Aeolus, but he held the Ruairi's gaze steadily.

"You do not fight like one of the elohim," the alien said thoughtfully. "They would have slain me instantly, and not given me a chance to fight. You work with them, but you were not _trained_ by them."

The turtle shook his head again; he was bereft of answers, even if he _wanted_ to give them.

"Do you know what this device is?" The Ruairi tapped the table.

Aeolus looked down and was surprised to see the silver-plated band Nizar had given him in three separate pieces on the table. He stared at the remnants wordlessly, and glanced back at the alien.

"Did you know the Overlords could use this band to contain you?" his captor asked.

The turtle's brow creased, though he didn't intend to give himself away.

"Ah, you did _not_ know," the alien filled in. "I believe there are a good _many_ things you do not know about your elohim 'friends'."

_I don't doubt that, but I can't imagine you're any better, _he thought morosely.

"What do they call you?" the Ruairi wanted to know.

"Are you asking my name?"

"It would nice to have something to refer to you by," the alien said casually, like they were sitting down to supper together. "As far as I know, you have neither race nor name. You may have come from another world entirely, or perhaps the Annunaki's famous laboratories."

"You think they _created_ me?" Aeolus didn't expect that.

The alien shrugged. "The thought has crossed my mind, but then, your DNA is so seamless that my expert says it is not likely."

Heat rose in the turtle's cheeks. "What do you know about my DNA?"

"A blood sample provides a lot of information. But if you were not created by the Anunnaki, then where did you come from?"

Aeolus sighed deeply.

"It is all right to admit you do not know." The alien gave him a disarming smile. "After all, you are not the first one to wake up among the Overlords with no memory of the past or your identity."

The turtle's dark eyes widened.

"I can see I am not far off." The Ruairi sounded smug.

"You don't know me," Aeolus said tersely.

"Nor do you know yourself. We are on the same level, terrapin."

The turtle hated the alien's smile. "I'm glad you're enjoying this," he muttered.

"Assassin, I could have had my man kill you, but I chose not to. You are _alive_, and very lucky for it."

Aeolus didn't even blink. "What do you want from me?"

"At the moment, I am only requesting a name."

The turtle gave the Ruairi a dark glare. "If you're so interested in names, why don't you tell me yours?"

The alien laughed, reminding Aeolus of Nizar. _That isn't a promising feeling_.

"Very well, terrapin, I am Achaz. I am sure the Annunaki had plenty to tell you about the Ruairi. As for how far you can trust creatures who strung you along only to fit you with a device that could level you in an instant…Well, only you can decide that."

A cold chill washed over Aeolus. _Shell, how did I let this go so far? Why did I agree to go to battle along with the elohim when I _knew_ they were hiding things from me? I must have been out of my mind._

"Come now, Assassin, it is only a name. What can be the harm in sharing it?"

"They call me Aeolus," he replied stiffly.

The Ruairi nodded. "That was not so hard, was it? Aeolus. I will assume it is not your _real_ name."

The turtle grunted sharply in annoyance. "All right, Achaz, now that you have my name, what do you intend to do with it? What's the purpose of this chat?"

"Convincing you to trust someone is not going to be easy, is it?" Achaz wondered.

"Don't count on it."

"Have patience with me, Aeolus. You must give me _some _kind of chance; we have only just met."

"And already you're trying to dislocate both my shoulders," the turtle complained, squirming slightly with his bonds.

"Do you blame me? You tried to kill me, Aeolus."

"I challenged you to an honorable fight."

"It seems like honor must be important to you. You were working for the wrong side if that is the case."

"How do I know _you're _any better than the elohim?" Aeolus demanded.

"You raise a valid question, and I have an answer. We will do for you that which the Anunnaki would not."

_You're claiming you want to help me? So help me, I'm not falling for the smooth talk of another alien race._

"The Anunnaki buried your memory through a mind reorientation. The procedure is not necessarily permanent. Your mind has not been erased, but rather it is suppressed under the debris of Anunnaki manipulation. When the appropriate trigger is applied, you can get access to _all _of it."

The turtle felt another wave of goosebumps at the proclamation, but refused to look or sound eager. "What do you mean 'trigger'?"

"I speak of a catalyst, an event, a sensation…something that has the power to break the mind barrier which has been erected."

"You think you can find mine?"

"Not myself specifically, but my allies do have certain means to expedite the process."

Aeolus' dark eyes narrowed. "Why don't I like the sound of that?"

The Ruairi chuckled. "Aeolus, you have nothing to fear. The therapy is more interactive than invasive. But I will let an expert handle this."

Achaz looked over his shoulder at the other Ruairi standing by silently. "Cuall, will you retrieve Bahri for me please?"

The turtle attempted to remain emotionless as he waited for the so-called "expert ally" to appear. A couple of minutes later he was stunned to see a golden-haired elohim duck inside the land cruiser, and make a motion of deference to the Ruairi.

"You recover quickly," the elohim remarked. "It is easy to see why the Elite chose you."

Aeolus shut his mouth, resolving not to say a single word while shock waves rolled over him from the latest revelation. _This one has betrayed his own kind? Even if the elohim are completely messed up, that makes this whole situation more complicated._

Achaz cleared his throat. "This is Bahri, trusted friend and ally of the Ruairi."

The turtle almost forgot the necessity to remain still as the elohim drew closer.

"I know this must be a difficult idea for you to reconcile with—" Bahri started.

Aeolus scowled. "This is so far past _difficult_ that I'm lapping it a second time! Elohim, Anunnaki, Ruairi, I don't care what you call yourselves. I want nothing to do with _any_ of you! Kill me or set me free, because I'm not accepting your help."

"I think you may change your mind, Aeolus," Achaz said calmly. "We will return to our territory shortly, where a more comfortable version of restraint can be applied. If you would listen to what Bahri has to say, things could be better for you."

"Not if I'm only going from one form of imprisonment to another," the turtle shot back.

"You must understand _our _predicament, Assassin," Achaz said sharply. "We know nothing of you, except that you were tied with the murderous rouges who call themselves 'Elite'. That alone does not bode well for you. I am not going to risk myself or my men against an unpredictable enemy with nothing to lose."

"You're not going to earn my trust either."

"You _are _a stubborn thing, by El." Achaz scoffed.

The amount of anger his words produced wasn't something the turtle could explain. "I'm not a thing _or_ an animal," he hissed angrily.

"Who do you think understands that better than we can?" Achaz offered. "I do not know how the Anunnaki treated you, but _we_ do not hold other races in disdain. You and I are much more alike than you and the elohim. I do not see that as bad thing."

Aeolus shook his head fiercely. "I don't know how to believe you. This entire exercise feels pointless. If you turn me loose, I give you my word I won't hurt anyone. I'll go my own way."

"Ah, but what is your word to me?" Achaz eyed him keenly. "It is clear we both need to take the time to get to know each other."

"Nothing you say makes a difference. You're wasting your time with me, Achaz. What could you hope to gain? From where I sit, you must have an ulterior motive for keeping me alive."

"Do not all creatures hold some sort of motive deep down, Aeolus?"

"Maybe, but I honestly have nothing to offer you, and I _don't_ want help from you or your allies."

"Even if it meant being reunited with your own kind?" Bahri asked.

"My own kind?" Aeolus repeated. "Are you saying there are more creatures like me on this planet?"

"There is a high probability," Bahri replied. "If you were the only type of your race collected, then the elohim would not risk losing you in a battle. My instinct says they have at least one more of you, locked safely out of harm's way. A family member or a friend perhaps."

The turtle swallowed, and his throat suddenly felt extremely dry. "I don't know what you want from me."

"Give us a chance, Aeolus," Bahri encouraged. "That is all I ask."

_For right now, sure. Later on, who knows what you'll want? Once again, it doesn't feel like I have many options._


	13. Trust & Freedom

***Greetings my friends! From talking to a couple of people, it has come to my attention that posting could be out of control. For this reason, I'm going to start posting every other day, so that you all have an easier time keeping up. I can cut it down more if I need to...I don't mind only posting a couple of times a week. My goal is to please you, not burden you. ;)**

**With that said, ****I don't own the song, "Meeting of the Waters", or condone Ezra's behaviour. ::snicker::**

* * *

><p>Tytus stirred with a grunt, searching for a more comfortable position on the pallet. <em>I ought to be getting used to this dumb thing by now. For all I know, I could be using it for a long time. Something tells me that I won't be able to hold my peace as long as Ezra has, though. I just don't got the patience.<em>

When he threw a glance over his shoulder, he realized that the man wasn't even in his bed. _What? How in the shell did I miss him leaving? _The turtle turned over rapidly and climbed to his feet. The cold night air hit him the moment he separated from his blanket, but he continued to the entrance of the shelter.

Tytus was both puzzled and concerned when he didn't see the human outside. One side of him was tempted to go and search for Ezra, but he hesitated. _This is nuts. Ezra is the one who told me never to wander off after we'd been settled for the night, and now he disappears like this? How does that make _any_ sense?_

The turtle backed inside to retrieve the scratchy blanket he'd been issued by the Overlords, and wrapped it around his shoulders before sitting down at the entrance to the tent to wait on Ezra to reappear. _He's gonna hear it from me when he gets back, that's for darn sure._

He stared up at the murky clouds that blocked out any hope of seeing the night-time sky and shook his head. _I'm so sick of everything being so dark. What I wouldn't give just to see some stars. _

Tytus allowed his mind to fall silent after the thought passed and turned his gaze to the surrounding country. It was better not to think or worry over the condition of the land in which he was consigned to live for the time being.

His breathing unconsciously deepened as weariness tugged on his consciousness. _It's the middle of the night for cripe's sake, _he thought grumpily, forgetting his desire for silence. _I'm supposed to be sleeping, not worrying about what my glorified roommate could be off doing._

Something about Ezra's presence had the ability to make the turtle feel more at ease, and helped him to keep his temper in check when he was ready to explode on one of the elohim. Now all he wanted to do was go off on the man for leaving without so much as a word.

_He could have given me the option to come with him, if nothing else. It ain't fair. Those stupid elohim control every second of every day, and they're the reason I'm sitting here instead of chasing after Ezra off into the night. Is a little freedom too much to ask for? _Tytus rolled his eyes._ For a slave, I guess it is too…_

His musing was interrupted by a sound from off in the distance, and the turtle immediately snapped to attention. Tytus rose stiffly and leaned back inside the shelter so he could watch unseen. The sight of two shadowy figures coming that direction made him retreat further and his heart beat faster at the same time.

He cringed as he imagined the elohim coming to check for an absent Ezra. Tytus dropped onto his pallet and tried to breathe more quietly in the hope that the intruders wouldn't notice anything was awry and move on in their circuit. The turtle heard footsteps nearing the tent and dreaded the appearance of the alien Overlords. Instead, he was surprised to hear a voice rise in quiet song.

"_There is not in this wide world a valley so sweet_

_As the vale in whose bosom the bright waters meet_

_Oh! The last rays of feeling and life must depart_

_Ere the bloom of that valley shall fade from my heart_

_Ere the bloom from that valley shall fade from my heart._

_Yet it was not that Nature had shed o'er the scene_

'_Twas not her soft magic of streamlet or hill_

_Oh no! It was something more exquisite still_

_Oh no! It was something more exquisite still."_

Tytus slowly got up from his pallet as the singing hesitated right outside the tent, having recognized that it sounded very much like Ezra. Cautiously he went to meet the man, but the second figure was nowhere to be found. The human looked unsteady on his feet, and not at all concerned with the turtle's scathing glare.

"Where the shell have you _been_, Man? You scared the heck out of me just now. I thought someone was gonna come up here looking for you. Where's the other guy who was with you?"

Ezra gave him the most comical smile the turtle had ever seen, which seemed completely against the man's nature. "Do you see anyone else?"

"Well, not now I don't, but there was—"

"There is no one, Tytus. No one for _you_ to worry about at least." The man stumbled slightly as he meandered into the shelter like nothing unusual had happened, and resumed his strange song.

"'_Twas that friends, the belov'd of my bosom were near_

_Who made every scene of enchantment more dear_

_And who felt how the best charms of nature improve_

_When we see them reflected from looks that we love_

_When we see them reflected from looks that we love."_

The red-haired man teetered from side-to-side before dropping onto his pallet opposite the turtle. Tytus bent over his friend and shook his shoulder when it appeared that Ezra was going to sleep.

"No way, Man, you ain't falling asleep on me yet. Where did you go?"

"Where did I go?" Ezra murmured groggily.

"Yeah, that's what I asked. C'mon, Ezra, sit up. You're supposed to be the respectable one. What's up with you?"

"I'm sorry, Tytus. I'll be all right, I will. I just need a few minutes to rest."

"You ain't listening to me, Ezra. What's _wrong_ with you?"

"Nothing that a night's sleep won't cure," he returned. "We both need to get some."

"We aren't going to sleep until you talk to me. _Neither_ of us is," the turtle's voice rose dangerously.

The man propped up on his side to face him. "Must you always be so stubborn, turtle?"

"Look who's talking! You're ticking me off. I'm about thirty seconds away from pummeling you."

"I was with a friend, Tytus. He offered me drink, and I took more than I should have."

"You were with a friend." Tytus stared at the man incredulously. "You went off to hang out with someone in the middle of the night? Do you know how crazy that sounds?"

"I know that it doesn't make sense to you, but I don't want to talk about it," the man said sharply. "I don't need your permission to leave."

"But I need yours," the turtle said sarcastically.

"You don't know what you're doing."

"Right now it doesn't sound like you do either," Tytus retorted, shaking his head. "Ezra, I'm sorta counting on you here. I don't think I'll be able to handle all of this if you lose it."

The man sighed deeply. "Sometimes…sometimes the hopelessness that's compounded over the decades of my life span threatens to overtake me, Tytus. I gave in tonight to find a little relief, and I'm sorry that I worried you. I was perfectly safe out there."

"How were you _safe_? Do those elohim take your leash off sometimes; let you do whatever you want?"

"There's more to things than you know yet, turtle. I want to share them with you, but I need to spend enough time with you first. Some relationships have taken years to cultivate, and I can't risk them without being absolutely sure," he said frankly.

The troubled look in the human's eyes made the turtle feel like changing the subject. "What was that song you were singing? Where did that come from?"

"What about a song?"

"You were singing," Tytus reminded him.

"Oh…The Meeting of the Waters. It's an old song that my mother used to sing," he murmured.

"Your mom?" Tytus stiffened with the revelation. "Ezra, do you remember where you came from?"

The man raised his head a couple of inches. "From a land so green and good that it puts this rock to shame. I may have only been a boy when I was taken, but I can remember it."

"You never told me that you could remember anything."

Ezra gave him a lop-sided smile. "If a man goes around saying that, he'll have to go through reorientation again."

_If he's had too much to drink, now might be a good time to try and get a little more truth out of him, _Tytus thought silently. "Ezra, do you not trust me?"

The man shook his head. "It's not that I don't trust you, Tytus, or that I don't _want _to. There are some things I'm not ready to share yet, and I'm not certain that you're ready to hear. I hope you don't think badly of me for it."

The turtle was mystified as to what he meant, but decided to let it go. "How old were you when you were taken?"

"I was eleven. It took me the better part of two years to get my memory back, but I've been hiding it from the elohim ever since."

"_How_?"

"By doing as I'm told, working hard, and never making a fuss. If you prove yourself to be a 'good' slave, it isn't that difficult to keep things hidden."

"So how long have you really been here?"

"I'm going on thirty-three years."

Tytus whistled under his breath. "Wow. No wonder you want a break. Then you've got a real home out there."

"Not anymore I don't." The man suddenly sounded hollow. "I'd rather not talk about it either, if that's okay with you."

"I get it, Man, that's all right," the turtle said quietly. "We ought to be getting some sleep anyway. Morning comes early."

"I'm looking forward to it," Ezra said morosely, and then looked at Tytus apologetically. "Lie down, turtle. You've listened to an old fool enough for one evening."

Tytus silently lowered onto his pallet, never taking his eyes off his friend. _I can't even imagine being here as long as he has, under these insane conditions. It's absurd. I think most people would have been beat down long before now, but he still manages to keep his head above water and fool these elohim. _

_I may not know what his real deal is yet, but something tells me that it's worth hanging around to find out. I just hope he'll be worth something come morning, and me too for that matter. I gotta sleep. _The turtle closed his eyes and waited for exhaustion to descend and escort him to dreamland.

* * *

><p>Michelangelo was tired of unidentifiable food that never included real meat of any kind. Ghaniyah had explained the healthy alternative diet to him days ago, and the turtle had been forced to pretend to embrace being a vegetarian.<p>

Mike gazed around the large hall, surveying the other creatures who were eating without complaint. _It might not be so bad if I didn't know any better. I never thought I'd miss cooking this much, _he thought ironically.

The silent statement brought him a small smile, but he couldn't maintain it. Mike's shoulders hunched as concern for his brothers mingled with the sadness of being cut off from his wife and little boy. _Dude, I don't wanna play this stupid game. I have to get out of here, and soon. I can't take it anymore._

"Are you not hungry, Azuleus?" The "angelic" creature sitting across from him cast the illusion that she cared, but the turtle wasn't fooled by it.

"I don't feel like it," he mumbled. _I just want to get out here!_

Ghaniyah's hand landed on top of his, and he had to bite his lip to prevent himself from reacting negatively. "Your heart _will _grow lighter, Azuleus," she assured him.

_I'd feel a lot lighter if I could pitch you across the room._

"Would you like to try something else maybe?" the elohim woman suggested.

He nodded, only because he knew it would get her away from the table for a short time. The minute Ghaniyah left, his eyes began roving the room once more. The diners consisted of a mixture of humans and creatures called ducaz, as well as a couple of other cross-breeds that didn't appear to be entirely one race or another.

His glance lingered a moment longer on the boorish figure of one of the undetermined species, an alien with a tangled mass of black hair that reminded the turtle of a lion's mane. The creature sat alone; that was how the alien preferred it. Mike had several opportunities to witness the stranger's ill temper a over the last few days of observation, and he'd taken note of the wide berth the other prisoners gave him.

_I wonder if any of these other guys realize how messed up the elohim are. I wish I could talk to them and figure out if anyone else wants to escape, but the wretch barely gives me room to breathe. _

_That's the real trick for breaking free. I've got to find some way to occupy her long enough so that she doesn't realize that I'm running. It probably wouldn't work out if any of these other jokers saw me trying to escape either. _Mike furtively cast another look at the other elohim who were congregated in their own group, but ever aware of the rest of the room.

_Man, I could sure use Leo or Donny's brain right now. They'd see a way out of this, no doubt. Raph could probably even pull off something impulsive. I gotta be the only one who doesn't have a dang clue._

Michelangelo noticed Ghaniyah returning and gave the woman his attention. She was carrying a steaming bowl in her hands, which she set on the table in front of him.

"This particular batch comes out spicy," she warned him. "The kiku root is usually sweet, but occasionally they possess more heat than most people desire. It is something different for you—"

Mike didn't wait for her to finish before trying the soup eagerly. He welcomed the kick of the concoction with a half grin. "That's good stuff. Don't let them throw it out."

Ghaniyah laughed. "I have seen no other guest enjoy it as you seem to. I will make certain that they set it aside."

_It could still use my touch, but at least it's not bland and tasteless like most of their other junk. _Mike savored both the broth and vegetables, enjoying the feeling if being a little satisfied by their food for the first time. _If I could get access to the kitchen, I'd make all kinds of things taste better. Won't have time for that though. Gotta figure my way out._

Mike surveyed the room one more time as he finished the bowl. The hovering elohim "protectors" were an intimidating sight, but they weren't attached with their subjects at the hip like Ghaniyah was with him. _That means they're not paying quite as much attention as she does. Seems like I need something to get rid of her, and to distract _them_. I need to think this over. There's a way – I know it._

"Would you like any more to eat, Azuleus?" Ghaniyah asked. She appeared pleased with how much he'd enjoyed her suggestion.

"Nah, I'm good," he said dismissively. "I'd kind of like to go back upstairs. I haven't been sleeping well."

She nodded sympathetically. "Some rest will do you good."

_Yeah, and it'll get you off my shell for a while. It's hard for me to organize my thoughts when you're sitting right in front of me. I won't last another few days here._


	14. Bilingual

Aeolus was sitting cross-legged leaning against the wall, eyes closed while he tried to ignore what was going on outside the electrified bars that encased him. The turtle rolled his eyes when the elohim lingering on the other side began speaking in yet _another_ language.

_This guy is relentless._ _I haven't understood anything he's thrown at me today; I'm not sure why he thinks this one would be any different._

It had been almost three days since the assault that had ended in disaster, but Aeolus was no closer to trusting the _new_ aliens. No matter how nicely they spoke, he was still a prisoner; a fact that Achaz wouldn't let him forget.

He had the freedom to pace inside the holding cell if he wanted to, but the turtle was trying to prove the point of being as unmovable as a mountain. Aeolus was never left alone day or night, and he was thoroughly irritated with the intrusion. More than freedom, he was craving peace. _To not need to face anyone or hear questions that I can't answer, for just one day…I'm probably give just about anything._

The turtle threw an exasperated glance at Bahri and saw the blue-eyed elohim pouring over his hand-held device, murmuring softly to himself. _I wonder how many languages he _has_ on that machine. That, and how long he'll keep up this pace before he realizes I really don't know any of them._

Aeolus resumed staring at the floor. _To be honest, part of me wishes that I _could_ understand. I'm sick of sitting around with an empty head, and feeling like there's no reason to even hold onto my life. It's obvious that this place isn't my home. What hope do I have of being able to get back to where I belong when I don't even remember where that is?_

The turtle sighed deeply, rubbing a hand across his forehead. Discouragement had been weighing heavier over the last several hours, to the point that sleeping was all he _felt_ like doing. He rested his head against the wall, wondering if there was any chance he could fall asleep with the elohim and the two Ruairi observing him like a strange exhibit.

"_Aeolus__, wakarimasu ka?_" (Do you understand me?)

His head shot upright so fast that it jerked his neck painfully.

"_Wakarimasu ka?_" Bahri repeated more slowly.

For the moment the turtle felt like he'd forgotten how to breathe.

"Aeolus?" The elohim peered at him curiously.

By the time Aeolus found oxygen, the appropriate answer had already occurred to him. "_Wakarimashita_." (I understand.)

Bahri practically beamed. "_Goyouken wa_?" (May I help you?)

The turtle shook his head in frustration. "_Anataga shinyou dekinai_." (I can't trust you.)

"What do you have to lose, Aeolus?" Bahri asked seriously. "You want to remember who you are, do you not? I am _trying_ to help you."

"For what purpose?" he demanded. "None of you have answered that question. What do you want from me?"

"We are curious about you," the elohim returned. "It is possible that we have things to gain from each other."

"What could you _possibly_ think I have to offer? I'm an alien. This isn't my home. I'm completely alone."

"That is not necessarily true," Bahri corrected him. "You cannot _know_ that you are alone unless you remember your past. Are you afraid to try?"

Aeolus' eyes narrowed. "I'm not afraid. I just find it hard to take an elohim at his word. I don't even trust the normal kind, and you're pretty much a traitor."

Bahri sank into a chair beside the bars with a soft sigh. "There are many things that you do not know about the Anunnaki, which _many_ people do not know. I have no desire to betray my race. The situation is far more complicated than you think it is."

He snorted. "That's unlikely."

"Aeolus, the elohim are not now what they once were. There was a time when they chose to protect and value life, rather than exploit it. When they used their knowledge to help and heal others, instead of destroying them. We were charged as guardians, chosen specifically to watch over the welfare of the creatures of Nibiru."

"Charged by who?" The turtle wasn't sure what to believe about the alien's story.

"By the great El, He who is ruler over all. He gave our race special gifts to enable us to carry out the duties, and to continue to grow and thrive. But with much success came pride, and with pride…" Bahri hesitated. "It is a story that has replayed itself throughout the universe, not only in our past, but the history of many others.

"The Anunnaki began to view themselves on a higher plane of existence than other living things, and so were exalted in their own eyes. They became obsessed with recreating perfection, learning first to manipulate the DNA of our race, before moving on to include other creatures.

"The 'Overlords' you were introduced to are a twisted version of what we were meant to be. It is an unfortunate thing that the larger part of the population has followed in this line of thinking, enjoying their elevation as 'gods' and lording it over their captives.

"Let it not be said that _all_ of the Anunnaki have embraced this foolishness. There are still hundreds who claim allegiance to El and would do no harm to another creature. There are those of us who cannot stand the sight of the forced slave labor of the human race, and would help them if we could."

"Slave labor? Nizar said the humans were under their protection."

Bahri shook his head. "I do not suppose you had the chance to see any of their settlements?"

"I didn't," the turtle admitted. "But they told me that the Ruairi target the innocent, choosing easy prey rather than fighting fair battles."

Achaz made a scoffing sound in the background. "Our fight is _not_ against the humans. We have never harmed any of them!"

"Then what are you fighting for?" Aeolus challenged.

"We fight for our _own_ right to live and prosper again!" the Ruairi's voice rose several octaves. "My race was one of the Anunnaki's first casualties. The mass genetic experiments they performed on us under the guise of _aid_ changed our lives forever, and threatens our future existence!

"They _have_ the means to repair what they all but destroyed, but the Anunnaki betrayed us to death. We are deemed to be a blight that is not worthy to endure. We do battle with the elohim, as hopeless as it may seem, because we have no alternative. We must either fight for a chance to continue as a race, or stand by until the rest of us die."

The turtle didn't know what to say. In his heart he sensed the truth of what Bahri and Achaz had told him, but he was still reluctant to accept everything they said without question. _I have a feeling that I'm not going to get anywhere quickly on my own. Maybe I should at least hear them out a bit more._

"What language did you address me with a couple of minutes ago?" Aeolus asked.

"It was Japanese," Bahri replied.

"Where did it _come_ from?"

"Both Japanese and the language you naturally speak are major tongues from planet Earth. _We_ speak them because the elohim have been observing that world and abducting their people for hundreds of years. I was running through several of Earth's languages on you, to find out how you would respond."

"The Japanese is the only one that really struck me…but it hit me hard."

"It would appear you were probably abducted from Earth by the elohim," Bahri replied. "The strange thing about the idea is that your race is unheard of on that planet. The only known rational species inhabiting Earth are the human beings."

The turtle cocked his head. "Then what…why would I have been there?"

"I cannot answer that, Aeolus. Only you can."

Aeolus got to his feet, shuffling toward the bars. "How can I answer it? What can you do to help me, Bahri?"

"I specialize in information, terrapin. I cannot tell you what your past entailed, but what I _do _have at my disposal is a vast database of material from Earth. With the digital advances of their current age, the humans have done the work for us. They seem to take great pleasure in cataloging both their history and daily lives in one central location which is exceedingly simple to access. Using the invention of the World Wide Web they have engaged in a strange amount of information sharing that would never take place among the Anunnaki, even if—"

"It sounded like you had a point there somewhere," the turtle interrupted. "How exactly is this storehouse of information going to help me?"

"I would like to share some of the digital files with you, both in English and Japanese. Perhaps something from the library will trigger the memories that are underneath the surface. It is the best solution that I can offer."

Aeolus shrugged. "It sounds better than the methods I imagined you trying out on me. Have you seen this work before?"

"I have not had an opportunity, but we are not risking anything by trying, are we?" Bahri sounded reasonable.

The turtle shook his head again. "I guess not."

"Very good. Would you like to begin now?"

"That quickly?" Aeolus caught his breath sharply. _Well…it's not like I have anything else to do. _"All right," he assented.

The elohim glanced down at the screen in his hand. "Turn to your right, Aeolus."

The turtle swiveled his head toward the solid white wall, and was surprised to see the surface take on a curious sheen before going completely dark. For a moment he was disappointed, but then colors began to slowly materialize in the center of the wall, stretching until they formed a crystal-clear image. While he watched blue and green met to become one, creating the stunning beautiful picture of another world.

"This is the planet from which you were taken," Bahri explained. "As I said, I have a difficult time believing it was your original home, but we have to start some—"

Aeolus silenced the elohim with a raised hand. "This is Earth?" The pang of longing that fueled his heart-beat faster was so overwhelming that he nearly choked on the words.

"Yes; it is a young world by the standards of most of the universe. How do you feel, Aeolus?"

The turtle didn't answer, instead brushing his fingers over the wall where the image was somehow being displayed.

"Do you remember it?" Bahri persisted.

"I…I'm not sure," he replied. "Nothing is coming immediately to mind. But when I saw it…I know this place, Bahri. I _must _know it." Several seconds passed before he could tear himself away from the beautiful globe to look at the elohim. "What's it like?"

"I cannot tell you from personal experience," he said. "I have never been there, but I have learned much about the Earth in the last one hundred years of my life. There are several planets in your small corner of the solar system, but none like this one.

"Earth enjoys a very unique and fortunate position with regard to your star. It lies neither too close nor too far away, but in the perfect range to sustain life. I am told that if the very axis of the world was changed by a degree, it would alter the entire environment of the planet.

"Life there is different from anything you see on Zuhur. It contains a dizzying array of climate zones and countries, fauna and beasts of so many varieties, it is truly astounding. The Industrial Revolution brought some unsavory changes across the planet, but paradise still exists there. It has some of the most beautiful and interesting lands that I have ever seen."

"What do they elohim want with Earth?" Aeolus had a sinking feeling as he asked. "Why have they been observing it for so long?"

"Humans make excellent subjects for genetic testing _and_ good slaves. Their world boasts a steady supply, and their population continues to grow." Bahri broke eye contact with the turtle, fidgeting nervously as he seemed to be weighing his next words.

"But it's more than that, Aeolus. They are interested in the planet itself. The world we now reside upon was never meant to serve as a permanent home. Indeed, this one was nowhere near as ideal of a candidate at first glance. In the end, the redeeming quality of Zuhur was the fact that they only had the small indigenous population of the ducaz."

_My favorite_, the turtle thought distastefully. "What's the story with the Annunaki? Does your race just jump from planet to planet consuming resources?"

"Things are not as they should be."

"But that's the way it _is,_ right? And Earth is next."

Bahri nodded with difficulty. "Earth is far richer in resources and larger than this world, but their population is what dissuaded an immediate occupation. The Anunnaki's numbers does not come close to that of the humans, and they have very little interest in expanding the size of our race."

"How long?" the turtle asked mechanically. "How long do they have before they decide they're done with this planet and move on to Earth?"

"I cannot pretend to know the minds of the Overlords," Bahri said quietly. "But as long as some resources exist here, they will not make the move. The elohim are not known for being rash or wasteful. They will take advantage of everything Zuhur has left."

Aeolus looked back at the bright blue-green world. "Earth isn't prepared for something like this, are they?"

"No, not for what the elohim would use against them. The Anunnaki have a strong understanding of human DNA by this time, including all the information they would need to create a controlled pandemic that would bring the planet to its knees."

The turtle spun to face Bahri. "Can they be stopped?"

"I do not know," he answered. "Certainly not by one alone, but if _all_ those who oppose the Overlords band together…there may yet be a possibility. That is why I am here, Aeolus, throwing in my lot with the 'terrorist' Ruairi. I do not know if we can succeed. But you can be sure that we will not back down without a fight."


	15. Diversions

Michelangelo watched the clock, trusting in a complete stranger's punctuality. The pieces that needed to fall into place seemed to be lining up properly; if he could acquire Ghaniyah's cooperation too, he'd be one step closer to his goal of escaping.

The turtle purposefully picked at his food, despite the fact that he was honestly hungry. It was all part of the act. When he was certain that the elohim woman was watching him, he threw in a grimace of pain for her benefit.

"Azuleus, what is the matter?"

Mike gave her what he deemed to be his most pitiful look. "Sorry, Ghaniyah. I know I'm not great company today."

"You look as though you are in pain."

"It's my head," he admitted, as though it was a difficult confession.

"You could probably use another dose," Ghaniyah suggested. "Perhaps we should retire upstairs."

The "dose" Ghaniyah spoke of was a pain medication she'd presented to him days ago, claiming that it was specifically formulated for him alone. Mike had pretended to take the capsules a number of times, while he was merely palming the meds and pitching them later on. He'd taken the liberty of hiding the entire bottle of capsules when she'd accidentally left them in his apartment the day before.

"I don't wanna give up that easily." He gave her a pleading glance. "I've been enjoying our walks outside after dinner. Couldn't I just take another dose and see if I feel better after eating?"

"I suppose we could try that." Ghaniyah smiled at him. "I have been enjoying our time together outside these walls too."

She squeezed his hand confidingly and he smiled back, even though he was seething inwardly. _I can't believe she thinks I'm falling for this crap._

"I will go and retrieve a capsule for you, if you will stay here and try to eat," she offered.

He nodded slowly, careful not to seem eager for her to leave. "You're the best."

"All right, Azuleus. I will be back soon."

_Not if I hid the junk as well as I think I did._

He gave her another nod and made a show of eating a heaping bite of a concoction that reminded him of pureed vegetables. Michelangelo watched the woman slip through the crowded dining hall, and stop to exchange words with one of the elohim "guardians" before leaving the room.

_And that's how it's done._

Mike carefully scanned the space, trying to discern if anyone was actively watching him. Everywhere he looked creatures were eating dinner, and the atmosphere was as calm and boring as it had always been. _That's about to change if _I _have anything to do with it. I just hope my insurance is on time, or this will be nothing but a waste._

The turtle remained at the table by himself for roughly two more minutes, allowing Ghaniyah sufficient time to get away from the dining hall, and to give anyone else who might look his direction the idea that he was eating like a good boy.

Mike finally rose cautiously with his bowl in hand, and his heart instantly started beating faster. _Take it easy, dude, just hold it together. You're cleaning up. That's all you're doing. _He grinned when he saw his target Sula, or the "lion" as he'd come to dub the creature, at his normal table by himself.

The turtle began to judge a trajectory even while he headed for the sanitation station. He looked right and left as he made the journey, but no one seemed to be paying him any strange attention. Everything felt normal. _Chill, Mikey, they don't know, _he tried to reassure himself, taking a calming breath.

He walked around the station that was separated from the rest of the dining hall by a half wall, and checked the kitchen silently. Mike didn't see any of the cooks, and he hadn't expected to. The workers would be starting the set-up in the back of the house for the Overlords' meal which happened directly after theirs, and the food required much more intricate preparation.

Michelangelo bit his lip as he hurriedly searched out other scraps of food that had been left behind at the sanitation station, and a couple of larger utensils that would be able to aid his effort. He found what he needed among the dirty supplies in the small space, and almost chuckled. _It's a good thing I have a lot of practice under my belt._

The turtle hoisted himself up onto the counter and peered over the half wall. _Well, it's now or never. I've come this far. _He took another deep breath as he drew a loaded serving spoon backwards at what he deemed was the appropriate angle, and then let the concoction fly.

Mike ducked down immediately, but Sula's enraged yell from three tables away told the turtle that his aim was spot-on. He peered out quietly when he heard the creature cursing and challenging someone to step forward and own up to the act. The entire room seemed to collectively hold their breath, and no one immediately moved.

It was one of the elohim that smoothly glided toward the beast of a man to diffuse him, but Sula wasn't going to back down calmly. He hollered something in another language that Mike was _glad _he couldn't understand, flinging the contents of his own plate into the Overlord's face.

Upon Sula's action several of the elohim fanned out to help contain him, and Mike readied himself a second time. _Okay, guys, I'm gonna give you a little more incentive. Please catch on. This has to work._

Michelangelo released four more catapults of the puree from behind the half wall in swift succession, not caring who he hit this time. He grinned as he heard the sound of annoyance building from across the room, and sharp voices calling for order. He glanced back into the hall to see the tense stand-off between diners both with each other and Overlords. Still no one moved, and for a disappointing moment, he felt as if he'd failed.

In another blink of an eye, however, three different tables erupted at once and pandemonium instantly ensured, spreading like wild-fire through the hall.

"_Yes_," Mike said under his breath, abandoning his countertop perch. "Keep 'em nice and busy for me, guys."

The turtle burst through the kitchen door, nearly running into two human cooks who'd only just reentered the front portion of the room.

"What are you doing in here?" the one with the larger hat demanded.

"They're tearing things up out there!" Mike informed them. "They're all fighting and throwing your hard work around the room!"

"Oh, El, you can't be serious!" the other exclaimed. "We'll be the ones they expect to clean all of it up!"

"You'd better get out there and make them stop before it gets any worse!" the turtle advised them.

The head chef barked a command over his shoulder and two more figures appeared from the back room. As the humans dashed out into the dining hall, Mike continued through the galley, searching for a way out.

He noticed the back door the moment he entered the adjoining room, and raced over to it. Mike had barely touched the hatch when he recalled that it wasn't going to open for him. _Shell, why didn't I think of this? I'm still acting like I can walk around and just break doors down. This isn't Earth._

Michelangelo cursed himself as he wheeled around in a circle, trying to figure out what to do. His eyes were drawn upward, and at the highest point above the stoves on the back wall, he saw his salvation in the form of a large vent fan.

The turtle cracked his knuckles before taking a running leap to vault onto the stove, and pulled himself up with the support of an overhead pipe to get a better look at the vent. He could see fading day light on the other side, and knew that the maneuver could work.

With both arms wrapped securely around the pipe, he jammed his right foot against the fan to see if it would budge. He felt the device shift and nodded to himself with satisfaction. Mike wound up for another kick, and this time connected with the fan as hard as he could.

The blow sent the fan crashing down the ground on the other side. Michelangelo used the pipe to help shimmy his way over to the newly opened escape route. The drop only appeared to be around fifty feet. _Not bad. Not bad at all._

The turtle squirmed through the opening, carefully flipping to the window crevice a few feet below. He used the small ledge for a temporary foothold as he searched for other built-in parts of the architecture to ease his descent.

In minutes he landed quietly on the green "grass" of the simulated landscape that made up living inside of the Dome. None of the foliage was real; he knew that for certain. The turtle had enough experience with things that actually grew from the ground to be able to tell the difference, even if they _were_ good knock-offs.

Nerves crept up on him again as he huddled close to the building, alert for the sound of anyone else nearby. Mike needed to get around the other side of the structure in order to find his ride out of the Dome, but he wasn't crazy enough to make any hasty moves.

As of yet he'd seen nothing, and heard no one. The sky above the Dome was bearing little witness to the sunset tonight, clouds blocking out what retreating rays could have broken on the crystalline surface. Mike stayed silent as he trailed along the outside edge of the building, prepared to bolt if necessary.

His breathing quickened when he finally approached the front, and he crossed his fingers before glancing around the corner. The cruiser he was hoping for was _there_. Mike darted backwards as he heard voices, and then peered around front stealthily to see two men hauling large linen bags that looked bigger than they were.

Mike watched the humans move back and forth from a smaller door to retrieve their loads and drop them off, tensing as he waited for an opportunity. _These guys are too quick with the laundry. Couldn't you dudes slack off a little and give a turtle a chance? _He almost felt dizzy while he watched the men's relentless pace.

As turtle luck would have it, the next time that one of the men emerged from the door, the second _wasn't_ right behind him. A few seconds later, a call rang out from inside.

"Eliab! The chute is stuck – I need your help!"

_Good, yes. Go help your buddy out for as long as you possibly can._

The man had barely disappeared through the small door before Mike lunged out of hiding. He didn't even bother taking real strides, choosing instead to dive around the hidden side of the cruiser, rolling across the fake turf to get to the back of the craft.

The turtle jumped in through the open hatch, rapidly burying himself under dozens of linen bags that were already loaded into the back. Chills coursed over his skin as he lay absolutely still, praying that he wouldn't be discovered while they were inside the Dome.

Maybe he could rationally talk these men into helping him. Mike wasn't eager to try and _force_ someone to assist him, but at the same time, he was a stranger on an alien planet, and he needed to get to his family_. If that means strong-arming a couple of guys, I'll just have to feel guilty for it later._

Mike held his breath as he heard their voices, not daring to make a sound. He heard the soft _thump_ of a bag landing inside the cruiser, and felt a second one come down on his pile. The turtle listened to the men make a couple more trips, before he gratefully heard the hatch hissing closed. _I can't believe this is working. Score one for the guys being right on time._

He remained buried as the craft began to move so smoothly that he hardly detected that it was in motion. _How am I going to get these characters to help me? I could just try to make off without them, but I don't know where I am, or where to go from here. It's possible that I could threaten 'em without actually hurting them too._

Mike felt anxious and uneasy about what could be waiting for him on the other side of the Dome. _I don't care what's out there, _he thought stubbornly. _It has to be better than being stuck in here with that wretch out to woo me like some love-struck puppy. Gross me out. _

_Ghaniyah's not _half_ the woman Becky is. Shell, I just wanna hold my girl and my baby right now, more than anything. _He rested his clenched fist against the cold metal surface of the floor, blinking back the emotion that threatened. _I _will_ see them again. I'll find the guys, and we'll figure out how to get home, if it's the last thing we ever do. I hope that everyone is okay. If they're not—_

Mike's thought was cut off by a strangely warm sensation that emanated from his right arm. Puzzled, the turtle crawled out from under the pile of bags and realized that the silver-plated band on his forearm was shimmering. _Aw shell, what on earth is that about? I should have known it wouldn't be—_

He was cut off again, this time by a wave of intense fatigue that came over him like a steam-roller. Mike's muscles felt like jelly while he flopped to the floor. The turtle determinedly tried to raise his arm, but found that it suddenly weighed as much as a car.

_It's something with the band, it has to be. So stupid, I thought I could…escape. Escape! I've got to…_The words echoed in his mind as the curtain firmly closed.

* * *

><p><strong>::sigh:: Sorry, Mikey...<strong>


	16. Yasir

Michelangelo groaned softly as he started waking up and tried to turn his head. His neck still felt like lead, so he gave up without much of a fight. Bright light hit his eyelids, and he squeezed them tighter shut. He wriggled his wrists experimentally and found they were shackled. That_ did you a lot of good, shell-head._

The turtle felt fingers brush his arm in a familiar fashion, and blue eyes instantly snapped open. He winced when the overhead light hit his retinas, but then turned a glare on Ghaniyah. "Get your hands off me," he growled.

The woman had the audacity to look _hurt_. "Azuleus, you disappoint me."

His anger was far too strong for him to restrain by now. "I couldn't care less what you think, witch. Get _off_ me!"

"I do not understand." Her perfect mouth was drawn up in a pout.

"Who do you think you're fooling?" Mike demanded. "Newsflash: I can see right through you, and it's not a pretty picture."

"You are not making any sense, Azuleus."

He rolled his eyes. "You speak English – can you _understand_ it? I'm done listening to the line of bull you've been feeding me!"

A backhand swatted toward the turtle from the opposite direction, catching him across the left eye. Mike's gaze shifted to take in the opposing figure of another Overlord.

"Shut your mouth, terrapin. You had the chance to do things easily, but you chose _this_ instead."

"I don't see how I _chose_ to be abducted!" He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but it was much too late to take them back.

"So we come to the root of things," the elohim proclaimed, turning to Ghaniyah. "I _told_ you that we were doing right by returning him to Yasir. How could you not realize your charge broke through the mind barrier? You were _supposed_ to be paying attention!"

"How was I to see inside of his head?" she asked defensively.

"You were supposed to _be_ inside of his head; it was your job! It is the reason you were chosen, because you were said to be the best!"

The angry Overlord's gaze returned to Michelangelo, and the turtle scowled at him fiercely. The elohim switched to his own tongue as the tirade continued, and Mike huffed to himself. _That's cool. I didn't want to listen to them argue over me anyway._

The turtle looked away from the pair of aliens and stared at the ceiling of the land cruiser dejectedly. _So it's back to "Yasir" for me, is it? No doubt that's the dude who messed me up to begin with. I gotta find a way to spring myself before we get there. If I'm even capable of moving, that is._

Michelangelo remembered the sudden heat from the armband, which was followed by his collapse. _Shell, it was like all my strength flew the coop in one fell swoop. That band has to be culprit. I've gotta get it off._

The two elohim fell quiet after a couple more minutes of intense speech, and then remained silent for the remainder of the journey. _Geesh, I felt more comfortable when they were fighting with each other. Now it seems more like I'm about to go in front of a firing squad._

Mike tensed when the cruiser stopped, and the Overlord rose to open the hatch. The alien conversed with someone on the other side, and the turtle swallowed when another elohim came onboard. He felt useless as the two males lifted him from the seat, and he couldn't even hold his head up. _Fight or flight? In my dreams._

There were no explanations offered or threats delivered as the Overlords carried him between them inside of a sterile white building, and Ghaniyah followed about two feet behind. The maze of halls seemed to last forever, until they reached a large set of double doors. The turtle took a deep breath, but when the doors hissed open he saw a car that was reminiscent of an elevator.

The transport shot down faster than he'd anticipated, and his heart almost jumped into his throat at the onset of rapid weightlessness. Mike could feel Ghaniyah staring at him, but purposefully refused to look at her. _I've pretended to be cordial enough to last me for the rest of my life._

Off the elevator the two elohim took him, and through another labyrinth of twists and turns that all looked the same to Michelangelo. _I wonder how long they had to carry around a map before they memorized this place. They could use one of those boards with the map and the pin to tell you exactly where you are. It'd probably look something like the gates to Hell._

The hallway widened out, and the corridor appeared to be a dead-end. Then he noticed a glassed-in room on the other side, and felt an immediate sense of déjà vu. _Oh yeah, I've been here. Shell._

A tall elohim wearing a long grey cloak and a disapproving expression met them at the door. _What does this guy think he is, a Jedi? I could use some mind tricks of my own. "I am not the turtle you are looking for."_

The cloaked Overlord hissed a command and his two captors took him into the glass booth that overlooked the rest of the room, and then down a flight of metal stairs. The sight of the lab was sufficient to take the rest of the wind out of Mike's sails. The turtle felt himself paling as the two elohim practically threw him onto a table.

Michelangelo could see Ghaniyah a few feet away having a discussion with the other Overlord, and the strange figure's voice suddenly grew louder.

"No, I will hear no excuses or explanations! The job was not fulfilled, and your part in this has ended. Get out of my sight, all three of you. I will handle the fugitive on my own."

The turtle grunted angrily under his breath. _Take this stupid band off my arm and you'd be singing a different tune. _His captors hadn't bothered to strap him down, and it honestly didn't matter. He couldn't move to save his life.

Mike glared at the lone Overlord as he approached, and the others vacated the room. His breath caught in his chest when he saw the alien's blue-violet eyes, and instantly recognized him from his first memories of the new planet. _Then _this_ is Yasir._

"That was quite a stunt you attempted, terrapin." The alien's tone was friendly.

Michelangelo stayed silent, eyeing the elohim as he waited for the other shoe to drop.

"Just where did you think you were going?" Yasir wondered.

"Anywhere but there," he muttered.

"You were not being mistreated. All of your needs were met, and still you could not be satisfied."

Mike couldn't believe the word had come out of Yasir's mouth. "I'll be _satisfied_ when I'm home with my entire family! If you expect me to be happy over being held captive inside some artificial version of paradise, you're out of your freaking mind!"

"It doesn't have to be this difficult," Yasir said soothingly. "This is part of the reason we provide everyone with a fresh start."

"Is _that_ what you call blowing someone's memory to bits?"

Yasir gave him a disturbing smile. "Had I 'blown your memory to bits', you would not have been able to retrieve it, terrapin. Indeed, the specialized process the cranium scanner uses allows your Procedural memories to remain completely untouched. That is why you did not have to learn basic skills or motor functions all over again. Only your short-term and relational memories were impaired. You were not harmed at all."

"No, you've done worse! You cut me off from everything that matters and tried to make me forget all about it!"

The Overlord shook his head regretfully. "You did break the barrier rather quickly. Some creatures last for decades without recalling their former lives. Others are more complicated, such as your case."

"I wanna know where my family is," Mike seethed.

"_Where_ they are is irrelevant, terrapin. You cannot get to them, and in a few minutes you will not even recall this conversation. Since you are feeling talkative, however, you may have the chance to speak freely while I finish setting the parameters on my machine."

"If you've laid one hand on my family—"

"Again, what is the point in knowing?"

"Everybody needs fuel," he snapped.

"I do not understand what you mean."

"Fuel, drive, some kind of justification for what I'll do if you've put one finger on their shells or pulled a hair from their heads."

"So you are referring to the humans as well? You lump your brothers and your friends into the same category."

"If you've hurt _any_ of them I swear you'll answer to me."

"What will you do, terrapin? Exactly how do you intend to kill me?" Yasir looked amused and it made the turtle's eyes darken.

"Have you ever been hurt really badly?" Mike asked evenly.

The elohim appeared to be thinking about it. "I suppose there have been a couple of serious incidents within the last two hundred years"

The turtle blinked at him in surprise. "Dude. You're ancient."

"Do you have a point, terrapin?"

"I want you to get one of those times in your head, and try to remember exactly how bad it was. Can you do that?"

"I am thinking." The condescension in the elohim's voice made the turtle wish he could kick the Overlord across the room.

"Now I want you to times that experience by a thousand, and picture the pain lasting until _I _think you've suffered enough. _Then _I'll kill you."

"I can see why your kind fit in well with the humans," Yasir replied. "You are such blood-thirsty, violent races."

"I guess kidnapping and brainwashing puts you in the category of a saint?" Mike challenged.

Yasir ignored him for a moment as he typed something on a display panel. Then the elohim turned around to apply the restraints to Mike's limbs, shaking his head sadly.

"I would give anything to speak with one you reasonably," the alien said. "Your DNA is one of the most fascinating specimens that I've ever encountered."

"Is my family alive?" Mike demanded, unwilling to accept the lack of answers.

Yasir shrugged. "I cannot speak for all of them. I know that at least two of your brothers live. I am not certain of the third, and with every day that passes, it becomes more unlikely."

Michelangelo felt an intense chill at the callous words, but his eyes narrowed. "If he's dead, you will be too; mark my words."

"Duly noted." Yasir sounded bored as he finished arranging electrodes over the turtle's head.

Mike's breathing quickened automatically. "There's something else I need to know before you go busting my mind up again."

"What is that, terrapin?"

"Why did your thugs take me and my family? Why pull us off that mountain at all?"

"Because you were there," Yasir said simply. "You have been through reorientation before, and you know what to expect. The process will end sooner if you do not fight it with your own thoughts. Empty your mind."

Michelangelo held his breath as the Overlord walked away from him, returning up the stairs to the glassed in booth. The instant a cold sensation kicked off from the electrodes, the turtle was tempted to panic and thrash inside of his bonds; anything to prevent his mind from slipping out of his control.

_But I couldn't fight it last time, and I can't stop it now. That doesn't mean I'll make it easy for him. _Rapidly Mike focused on an inner vision of the curly-haired woman that he loved. Rebecca's light brown locks had been dyed darker only days before they'd been taken, under Jazz's influence.

_Shell, Beck's never done anything with her hair before, and I can't believe Jazz finally talked her into it. _The soft brown had been deepened to a shade of mahogany that made the young woman's blue-green eyes stand out like beacon lights. Mike loved how happy the change seemed to have made Becky. _But then, she's beautiful either way. Nothing could detract from that._

Michelangelo felt nausea twinge in his stomach, probably more from anxiety than the actual reorientation. _I can't believe it's _possible_ to forget Becky. I feel like she's emblazoned on my mind, like some tattoo you can't get rid of. But he managed to bury her once…and I got it back, _he reminded himself.

_No matter what happens this time, I'll get her back. I could never lose track of her completely, or my brothers or Nate. _The one-year-old in his mind made the urge to fight became stronger. _I have to get back to them; they're counting on me._

The cold temperature from the electrodes was drawing energy away from him. Mike felt the deep sleep coming, and with it he knew he would forget, just like before. _If I have to go through this, I'm going to need another glance to last me until I can break through again. _He took a shuddering breath and summoned a memory.

_In a flash the turtle was on the river bank in a foreign rainforest country, with no one to count on except for himself and the lone translator that he'd nearly drowned. There was no telling where his family was, or where _he_ was for that matter. _

_On one side of him stretched the raging Congo river, and on the other were trees as far as he could see. Mike looked down at the girl with whom he'd barely been able to exchange names, and he found bedraggled wet curls nearly covering her face._

_Hesitantly, as if someone else was watching, he lightly brushed her hair aside so that he could see her better under the light of the breaking day. She reminded him of a sleeping angel. Mike found that he couldn't bring himself to remove his palm from her head as one of the most curious sensations he'd ever felt spread over him. He knew that what he was feeling didn't make any sense, given that the woman was a complete stranger, and he, a mutant turtle. He was falling for a human._

The sweet moment fell through his fingers like grains of sand as darkness took a chokehold.


	17. Feed

Aeolus didn't know _what_ to think when the elohim offered to let him out of the containment unit. He detected no guile in Bahri's clear blue eyes, but the suggestion felt too good to be true. It wasn't until the turtle took two steps toward the open door that he saw the alien stiffen, and realized the elohim was extremely nervous too. Bahri's hand strayed toward the gun on his hip.

Aeolus shook his head. "I'm not going to fight you," he said evenly. "I'm long past that. I promise not to lay a hand on anyone unless I'm attacked first."

"You must understand how difficult it is to take the word of a creature that I barely know, particularly one who was partnered with the Assassins."

"I didn't know them either," Aeolus said defensively. "And I didn't kill anyone, even though I could have. Doesn't _that_ tell you something?"

"Yes, of course." Bahri stood his ground as the turtle walked out of the prison.

"I can't think of any guarantee to give you, but for my word." The turtle did his best to appear peaceful. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to know the truth about who I am, and where I came from originally."

The elohim nodded. "I pray that I can help you, Aeolus. I will do everything that is within my power."

"I'd like a closer look at the maps again, if that's all right with you."

"That sounds like an excellent place to start, Aeolus. Please follow me."

The turtle fell into step beside Bahri, easily keeping stride with the alien. Aeolus strained his ears to listen for the sounds of others nearby, but he heard nothing. He gazed at the elohim out of the corner of his eye while they walked down a quiet corridor.

Bahri finally glanced over at him. "What are you thinking? You can be honest with me."

"Nothing – you're interesting, that's all. You're not like the other elohim."

"You only met a select few," Bahri explained. "While it seems there is more evil left in my race than good…there are still those who have not compromised or turned on the very creatures they were supposed to protect."

"Where are they?" Aeolus asked. "Is there any kind of existing cooperation between them and the Ruairi?"

The elohim gave him a small smile. "That is a discussion for another day, my terrapin friend."

Aeolus let the topic go, though he badly wanted to pursue it. There was a set of stairs at the end of the corridor, and the alien led him down another floor. It was cooler in this section, but not unpleasantly so. The staircase put them into the center of a dimly lit room, and the turtle could just make out what looked like work stations with computer monitors.

Bahri kept going, taking two more steps down into a sunken portion of the room. A cushioned bench ran around the entire diameter of the platform, and the elohim invited him to sit down.

"What is this place?" Aeolus asked.

"It is used for many purposes from research to conferences and battle counsels. I requested its use for today because I thought that we would be left alone here."

"Would the Ruairi try to interfere?"

"They can be impatient," the elohim replied. "The process will be smoother if we are left in peace."

"What _is_ the process going to be?"

"I am going to start with taking a closer look at one country, and then break down into more specific files from there. I am more inclined to focus on the United States than Japan, since your language preference and accent favor English. Make yourself comfortable.

"No matter what happens today, I do not want you to get frustrated. In all likelihood locating a trigger is going to take several attempts. Reorientation may not be permanent, but the barrier it erects over memories is strong. You may feel a familiarity with many things, yet still not be able to associate with them. Do not be consumed with overcoming this obstacle. Let us simply focus on one thing at a time."

Aeolus was still reeling from the revelation that the elohim were the ones who'd messed with his mind. He gazed at Bahri contemplatively as the alien worked his way through various cues on a keypad, and wondered if it would be possible for him to trust any of their kind.

_I don't have many options – but that was the reason why I followed Nizar and the Elite. Well, that and the stories he told me about "innocents" being in danger. I don't know how Nizar knew which buttons to push, but he had me. Bahri _feels_ more genuine than he ever did, but still…_

"All right," Bahri continued where the turtle's thought left off. The elohim withdrew his hand from the small screen and pointed at the wall across from them. "Watch now, and I will bring the country into view."

Aeolus watched as the surface of the wall shimmered and then flashed to life. First he saw the same breathtaking blue-green view of the Earth as before, but the picture quickly shifted, zooming in on the elohim's specific parameters.

"The planet has several great continents that sustain life of all varieties, but for now we are going the search only on North America," Bahri offered.

A large land mass appeared in the center of the wall, and the turtle stared at the continent with a confused feeling. He exchanged a glance with the elohim. "I hope you're not waiting for direction from _me_."

Bahri chuckled, and the sound struck Aeolus for its realism. "I know this is a lot to take in. I can make it a little easier at once, by concentrating on the one country alone."

The image shifted again, cutting away from the northern and southern most points of the continent to bring the center into the forefront. "This is the United States of America."

"And you brought me here because I talk like them?"

The elohim nodded. "It is not just your English, but the tone of your speech as well. The country is an interesting place in its diversity. People from every nation of this world have populated its four corners. The land is made up of distinctive territories which they call—"

"States," Aeolus finished. "Yes, it's familiar. I still don't know _why._"

"Give this a chance, Aeolus. Two of the territories are not exhibited here; that is, they are not part of the continental United States. I can bring up additional files, or something else entirely if you prefer."

"No, this is good," the turtle said quickly. "Something tells me that the answers are already staring me in the face…it's just a matter of seeing them." He shrugged at Bahri's expectant gaze. "Can you break the country down for me? Who lives there?"

"The population is mainly comprised of humans. They are the only rational species on the planet, with the exception of you and your brothers."

"Which is why you don't think we come from there originally."

"I do not know _what_ to think, Aeolus. I am attempting to follow a trail, and see where it leads us."

"How many people live in the United States?"

"Upon their government's last census, the residents numbered 313,025,000. It is one of the most populated countries on Earth, but much of that number is what they call 'suburbanized.' The humans tend to congregate in or around cities, the largest of which…" Bahri trailed off as he used the small keypad to shift the map to the eastern side of the country.

"Here," the elohim said. "New York City is the most densely populated of all, which is humorous in a way. Much of the city is located on an island."

Bahri's words registered, but Aeolus wasn't really listening to them. The mention of the city's name was enough to give him goosebumps and want to learn more.

"Can you tell me more about the city?"

"Would you like a closer look? I am sure I can find several files."

"I would."

"All right, Aeolus. I will begin on the street level, and you can tell me if you desire to see something else."

The turtle nodded, crossing his arms over his chest self-consciously. _I know my brain is in here somewhere. It would sure be nice to get some cooperation._

"Their kind calls it a city that does not sleep, and it is difficult to argue the assessment. I have never seen a livelier, busier place."

The turtle's eyes widened at the sight of bustling sidewalks that appeared to be so full of people that he didn't understand how they could get anywhere. The file shifted between day and nighttime images, startling Aeolus with its pace. "Is it always like this?"

Bahri shrugged. "I cannot say from experience, but New York City is apparently famous for it."

There was something about the pictures that both attracted and repelled the turtle at the same time. "New York is important," he said thoughtfully. "I'd like you to keep looking up more information here."

"You seem to be making my job easy today, terrapin."

Aeolus gave him a wry smile. "Don't get used to it."

* * *

><p>The turtle was distressed to realize that he couldn't have spoken more prophetic words. He'd spent hours locked away with Bahri, watching every type of footage that the elohim could conceive. Much of the information was based on what the alien called current material, but half-way through the day he also began throwing in history lessons from the settling of the city and the formation of the United States.<p>

The only thing Aeolus had to show for any of it was tired eyes and a burning frustration that had settled in the pit of his stomach, despite Bahri's earlier warning. Upon the completion of another dialogue commenting on the Colonial Era, the turtle scooted to the edge of his seat and shook his head. "I've had all I can take for one day. Can you please just turn it off?"

The elohim deactivated the screen with a flourish of his fingers, and the lights automatically brightened. "You must have patience, Aeolus," he said quietly. "I told you that this would be difficult."

"I'm trying," he stated, irritated. "Have you ever been in a spot like this, feeling like your entire _life _is just around the corner, but you can't get close to it?"

Bahri looked down briefly. "No. I have not been through reorientation, and it makes it impossible for me to empathize with you. But I know that many creatures have regained their memory after the experience, and I have no doubt that you will find yourself too."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You could call it a feeling, Aeolus. You do not appear to be a creature who is accustomed to giving up. That being the case, I think your chances of memory recovery are great."

The turtle heaved a giant sigh. "It's not knowing _why_ I'm here or who else might be in trouble that bothers me the most. I never felt like I belonged with the Elite. It makes me wonder who else is being hood-winked right now."

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"I wish you would."

"Do not try so hard, Aeolus. A breakthrough may come as a result of pushing, but more likely it will happen in _response_ to something. You will not do yourself any favors in becoming stressed this way. Calm your mind and spirit, and you may create the very environment where the barrier can be broken."

"Can I really trust you, Bahri? How do I know you're not holding out on me, when you could actually just access my information through the Overlords' database?"

"I do not blame you for questioning my involvement, Aeolus. If I were in your position, I would have a hard time trusting another alien too. The truth is that certain information is not common knowledge, even among the elohim. Details of where you came from and clues to your identity would be in a closed file, unless necessity required it to be opened. Even if I were to return to the largest settlement in Arcadia, I probably could not get near the information."

"_Could_ you return there?"

"Technically speaking, I could. Another ally in a commanding position has provided an assignment to explain for my absence. There is no other trail to give away my pact with the Ruairi."

"If you're working for the Ruairi, it would make more sense for you to be in Arcadia," Aeolus said pointedly. "From a tactical standpoint you'd do more harm as a plant on the inside than an ally on the outside."

"You are quite correct," Bahri agreed. "But there is a time and purpose for everything." The elohim flashed him a smile. "You are often thinking several steps ahead of me, terrapin."

"It doesn't hurt to plan," the turtle answered. "There's something else I'm curious about. You said that there are hundreds of elohim who are against the current regime. If that's the case, why can't you band together and leave the planet?"

Bahri sighed. "It has been tried, Aeolus. The problem is that the Overlords have control of key points in the volatile atmosphere that surrounds Zuhur. There are only certain areas where it is possible to exit the planet _safely_. While it is feasible to enter wherever you please, so long as you do not mind crash landing and probably annihilating your ship, leaving is another story.

"For the Anunnaki, any kind of abandonment is viewed as betrayal. It has left those of who disagree with the Overlords in a helpless position. Our leaders do not tolerate dissension. They will kill one of our kind for such actions more quickly than they will another alien."

Bahri paused for a long moment. "As strange as it may seem for me to be submitting to the Ruairi, the truth is that we need their help."

"And you don't think that the Ruairi could be using you?"

"I _know_ they are, Aeolus, but in my view, we are gaining from each other."

"I'm surprised you were able to get near them. They seem to really hate the elohim."

"With good reason. What Achaz told you about the Anunnaki's genetic experimentation on the Ruairi was completely accurate. The Overlords decided that the Ruairi were not fit to live."

"Of course, they're qualified to choose who should live and who ought to die," Aeolus stated sarcastically. "When I get my memory back, I'll probably on the same train of thought out to get them."

Bahri chuckled. "That's the spirit, Aeolus. We can pick this up again tomorrow if you would like."

The turtle nodded, climbing to his feet. He'd been more comfortable with the elohim today than he had with anyone else thus far, and it was a good feeling.

"For the record, I am not interested in using _you,_ Aeolus," Bahri said suddenly. "But our cause needs all the help that we can get. I hope that we can be friends."

Aeolus eyed the alien. _We'll see what comes of a couple more days._


	18. Background

Yasir blew steam off the top of a hot flask as he ambled through the corridor that connected with the labs. He nodded to acknowledge sentries while he crossed unchallenged into the most secure underground section of the structure.

He had a number of places to go today and several reports to write. The Supreme Commander had approached him the night before, requesting to be filled in on the cases of _all_ the aliens who'd arrived as part of the unique group with the terrapins. Yasir needed to perform research just to find out what had become of two out of three of the human beings.

Before he took any fieldtrips, however, he wanted to look in on the creature who was presently the closest to his keep. The Overlord paused by the small window of a secured room, and peered inside to see the terrapin. The alien in question was sitting on the floor in the middle of the unit, rocking back and forth. The expression in his blue eyes was vacant, as if he wasn't aware of anything else around him.

Yasir looked away when he heard footsteps, and motioned for his assistant to join him at the window. Shukri was in charge of the floor in his absence, and he'd asked the elohim to keep a close eye on the terrapin.

"_How long has he been like this_?" Yasir asked.

"_Ever since the third injection; I followed your instructions concerning dosage_." Shukri withdrew a hand-held device and pressed a button to bring the display to life. "_I have had him under constant observation, as you requested, Doctor. While his heart rate is slightly decreased, it is no slower than it would be when he is resting most deeply. His other vitals are nearly normal._"

Yasir nodded thoughtfully. "_I thought a customized version of the serum we developed for the young woman from their group would probably be effective on him too. I would rather not continue drugging either of them for an extended period, but for the time being, I feel better with the serum in place_."

"_Are you going to visit 443 this morning_?"

Yasir smiled to himself as he pictured the raven-haired woman. Despite having manipulated genes for years untold to grant the elohim hair colors from the fair side of the spectrum, he inwardly admired her uniqueness. "_No, regretfully I do not have time to see her. I will probably be gone for most of the day, so she and our terrapin friend are in your hands, Shukri. Do not lose sight of any vitals_."

"_Yes, Doctor_."

Yasir left with some disappointment. He would have rather traded places with Shukri and spent the day observing his charges instead of gathering the background information of what had happened to the other human man and woman.

In all honesty, he'd hardly given the two humans more than a second glance after setting them up for their initial reorientation. There was nothing to set them apart from any other Earthlings, except for the extraordinary company of the terrapins that they kept. _I suppose they were not bad specimen in and of themselves, but how could I be expected to care about them when I had the terrapins in front of me? The Supreme Commander behaves as if I should have been equally fascinated by them. It is not my job to keep track of all the slave assignments now, is it?_

Yasir was forced to admit to his superior that he had no idea what had become of the pair after they'd entered the system. He had left discovering the actual location of the two humans to someone in a much lower station than himself, but the Commander expected him to _personally_ carry out the physical follow-up. _I really do not see the point. They have no value to me or anyone else, aside from the labor they can perform. A little fresh air might do me some good, but I am certainly not going to find any where my first trip must take me. It is better not to waste any more time._

* * *

><p>Yasir exuded an intentional air of regality while he rode inside the transporter that carried its passengers several feet below the surface of Arcadia. It was the location of one of the greatest natural resources that the land had left, in the form of a massive underground reservoir and channel system.<p>

He noticed some concerned glances from other elohim as he stepped off the transporter and smiled grimly. No one was expecting him to arrive, and Yasir had no intention of mentioning that the errand was ordered by the Supreme Commander. _There is no sense in spoiling the intrigue for everyone else. Perhaps this will serve to help keep them on their best behavior._

Yasir's gaze shifted to take in the subterranean operation which he hadn't even bothered to visit for several years. _Nothing but an entirely new generation of slaves, and less water to depend upon. Even this resource will not stand forever, but that was not our intention to start with._

An Overlord clothed in dark green rather than the typical favored white tunic was the first one to approach him. "_Doctor_," he greeted evenly. "_It is a surprise to see you_."

"_I surmised as much by the shock of your men. One would almost think that I was not welcome here."_

"_That is not the case," _the elohim said swiftly. _"It is simply an unexpected honor for one of your station to lower himself to oversee this drudgery."_

"_Every station is important," _Yasir replied. _Though some are not nearly as important as others, _he added silently. _"I am quite certain it has been too long since someone came to review your operations."_

"_If there has been report of issues—"_

"_I will have your name, please, before we discuss the subject of my arrival."_

"_I am Nibras, foreman over the Aqueducts," _he replied stiffly. _"I prefer not to remain in suspense, Doctor. If there is a problem, I would like to know about it."_

"_I sympathize with you," _Yasir said patronizingly. _"Do you keep many slaves at work on the channels?"_

Nibras looked perplexed by how quickly he'd changed the subject, but the elohim nodded slowly. "_It takes a fair amount of strong men on a regular rotation to keep everything flowing smoothly. Each group consists of around 80-100 individuals. You must know that numbers fluctuate_—"

"_I care not for their literal number," _Yasir interrupted. "_I am here because of one particular individual, and I do hope you can direct me to him_."

Nibras' brow creased. "_Who are you searching for, Doctor_?"

"_His number is 825, and he would have been recently introduced within the last few weeks_."

"_825_," he repeated. "_Give me a moment_."

Nibras stepped away to speak to someone else, who consulted the small display of a hand-held device. The elohim returned to Yasir a few seconds later.

"_You are in luck, Doctor; this one's team happens to be currently on deck_."

Nibras led the way down a slight incline, following one of the channels. While they walked toward a group, Yasir noticed that most of the men were working either in or around the water, except for one that was visibly separated from the rest. The human stood close to another elohim's side as though he was at the leader's beck and call, but something about him didn't sit right with Yasir.

"_Here now, Nibras, why is this one treated differently than the rest?"_

"_That answer would require speaking to his task-master, Iyas."_

"_Pray introduce us then," _Yasir said icily.

They continued toward the Overlord in question, and when Yasir made eye contact with the human, the slave flinched nervously. His "task-master" nudged him out of the way, and made a hand signal of deference.

"_My lords_," he said simply.

"_Tell me, Iyas, who is this human that you keep at your side as a faithful pet?" _Yasir challenged.

"_His number is 825_—"

"_How convenient," _Yasir cut in. _"That is exactly who I am looking for. The question of his purpose here remains in my mind. He does not work as the others?"_

"_He works, Overlord," _Iyas assured him. _"He has become a type of runner for me, in addition to supporting the rest of the team. He is one of the strongest slaves I have had at my disposal in a long time."_

"_But he does not go into the water?" _Yasir questioned.

"_No, Overlord, he is…It is suspected that the human cannot swim."_

"_Suspected? Then you do not know this for a fact?"_

"_He has much terror over being in the channel. He is a willing worker otherwise, and I thought to put his talents to their best use."_

"_Iyas, you are not doing this slave any favors by leaving a question like this unresolved," _Yasir said rationally. _"He works in close proximity with water, and you need to know if he can actually swim. It would not be difficult to find out for certain; we can determine it right now."_

Yasir motioned to the slave to come back into the light where he could see him better. The human reluctantly came forward with a wary expression that suggested he desired to bolt. The Overlord appraised the bronze-haired man in front of him silently, noting his muscular build. _Yes, he does seem to be designed for this kind of work. _Golden-brown eyes blinked rapidly as Yasir leaned closer to him, but the man stood his ground.

"We are going to find out whether you can swim or not," Yasir informed the human. "_All_ of them ought to be tested if they have not been – make a note, Nibras."

"_No_," the man barely breathed the word. "I can't, I'm telling you, I can't—"

"Have you seen him try, Iyas?" Yasir asked.

"No, Overlord."

"The two of you bring him please," Yasir requested.

"You can't do this, I'm not—"

Yasir turned on heel and caught the man by the chin to stop him from speaking any further. "Not another word, slave. It is a reasonable skill to test. Where is the water deepest, Iyas?"

The task-master led them a few yards further down the channel. Yasir shook his head at the sight of the human wasting his effort on fighting the two elohim. "Enough of this," he ordered. "Put him in."

There was no way that the slave was going to go willingly, so the elohim were forced to cast him into the channel themselves. Yasir waited to see if the man would reappear on his own, hesitating for several seconds. He was just considering sending someone in after him when the slave broke the surface, gasping so hard that it sounded like he was suffocating.

Yasir watched the human lash frantically in the water for a couple more minutes before being satisfied that the slave _could_ probably swim to save his life. _"All right, send someone to fish him out before he hyperventilates."_

Iyas waved to two slaves who were already standing rigidly by. The men had a terrible battle on their hands in getting the terrified human under control enough to _be_ rescued. After dragging 825 over to the side of the channel, Yasir dismissed the other two slaves with a sense of disgust.

The Doctor crossed his arms as he stared down at the man who was still heaving for air. "You saw him," he announced. "He did not drown, though abandoned in deep water. Break him of this irrational fear, Iyas. I expect you to work with him personally."

Yasir caught the dark glare that the man shot him, and he patted his back condescendingly. "Fear is worthless, slave, and it will not earn you special treatment as long as I am around."

The human looked away angrily, and Yasir couldn't help wondering what could cause such a powerfully built creature to be so frightened of water.

* * *

><p>Yasir was far more pleased with the atmosphere of his following appointment, which turned out to be in one of the nicest areas of Arcadia. The foliage, although artificial, was lovingly displayed and artfully designed as if it actually grew from the ground.<p>

Upon arriving at the particular stone house he'd been searching for, an elohim woman opened the door before he had a chance to knock.

"_Good day, lady."_ Yasir was automatically courteous.

"_And to you, Overlord," _she returned. _"How may I help you?"_

"_I seek a slave who resides in your keep, a number 739."_

"_At this hour they should be in the Courtyard. You can follow me this way, if you like."_

Yasir gazed appreciatively at the fine glass and crystal blocked floor while he followed the woman through an adjoining sitting room toward the other side of the house.

"_The one you seek is there." _She pointed the woman out for him among two slaves.

The pair of humans was wrestling with a large rug, as three young elohim children practically danced in circles around them. Yasir chuckled at the irritation in 739's face. He remembered thinking that the young woman would require considerable cleaning up before being released into the labor force.

_I doubt I would have recognized her now. _The woman's formerly blonde, black, and red hair had been stripped to an even brown to make her look more suitable for an Overlord's home.

"_Have you had very much trouble with this one? She was quite talkative when she came in, so I recall_."

The elohim woman shook her head. _"Small things appear to easily frustrate her, but she completes the work, and has not resisted any of us. It would appear that reorientation mellowed her out, Doctor. You are gifted in many ways."_

_Reorientation, and likely the threat of severe punishment she probably received before being delivered to a home, _Yasir said to himself.

"_I am glad to see that she has fared well here."_

"_She is unusually gentle with the children, Doctor. I could see her lasting here for a long time."_

"_I will be checking in on her regularly, but do keep me informed of any issues that you experience in the meantime." _

Yasir had enough information to create a detailed but boring report for the Supreme Commander. _Hopefully he will not demand such a menial task from me again. I have better things to be doing._


	19. Barrier

Aeolus breathed rapidly as he sheathed his dirks, having just completed his third work out of the day. He sensed he was late for meeting with Bahri, but at the moment, he didn't care. Although the "research" the elohim performed with him for the last week was interesting, it had yet to be beneficial. He was no closer to recovering his past now than he'd been days before.

At the height of the turtle's frustration Bahri suggested that he try to work off some steam; a tactic which proved incredibly successful. He loved the sensation of the movement, even if he didn't feel in control.

When Aeolus thought about the maneuvers too hard, they were difficult and clumsy. It wasn't until he surrendered to the instincts that _wanted_ to guide him when he found true satisfaction. He stopped questioning where the smooth forms came from, and focused on enjoying the exertion and freedom instead. _But I really shouldn't keep Bahri waiting all day either. He's only trying to help me._

The turtle released the hilt of a dirk he was grasping, and turned to go back inside the fortress which was literally carved into the side of the mountain. He smiled sheepishly when he noticed the elohim in question already watching him from the door.

"I'm sorry, Bahri. Sometimes it's hard to turn it off."

There was no irritation in the alien's blue eyes. "You are all right, Aeolus. Do you realize that you almost appear to be dancing? I have yet to find routines more interesting than yours, as hard as I have searched."

Aeolus eyed him curiously. "You have?"

"You are a warrior with a very unique style, terrapin. If we could nail down the variety you subscribe to, it could be a key to your trigger. It may also explain your Japanese influence."

"How so?"

"Because their culture is associated with several highly specialized forms of fighting. I have gone through a list today, and watched various techniques. I thought maybe we could focus on that together this afternoon."

The turtle perked up considerably. "Have you found anything that resembles _my_ style?"

"Several files appear to share a similar inspiration, but there were also many differences. I am not an expert in this type of fighting, Aeolus. I think that you would be able to recognize an art that mimicked your own more quickly than I could."

"You can't forget that I'm only acting on compulsion though," the turtle reminded him. "When it comes to remembering things, I haven't proven very strong in that department."

"What have I told you, Aeolus? Every step you take is one that could possibly be bringing you closer to yourself."

"I'm still trying to keep a little faith."

"We have barely begun to scratch the surface of things, terrapin. Come with me, and let us perform some more research before we give up for the day."

Aeolus followed the elohim back into the cool, dimly lit interior that felt more welcoming with the passing days. They walked by a number of Ruairi without the aliens paying them any heed, until Achaz materialized out of nowhere.

"Good afternoon," the Ruairi leader greeted them expectantly, his gaze lingering longer on Aeolus. "You appear to be having a strenuous day."

The turtle almost colored, reminding himself to try and find a more hidden place outdoors to work on his forms. _It never occurred to me that anyone would watch that closely, but it must be easy to keep tabs on me with the monitors. It doesn't feel like I'm ever going to get any real peace or time to myself._

Aeolus couldn't explain why he was more bothered by Achaz studying him than Bahri, but the Ruairi had a gift for making him feel uncomfortable. "I enjoy the work," he finally told the alien.

"That much is clear, Aeolus. It also clearer than ever that the elohim had nothing to do with your training."

The turtle shrugged. "Not that I'm aware of, in any case."

"Were you heading off for another session?" Achaz asked.

"Yes, we were," Bahri spoke up.

"Would you mind if I came to observe? I am finding our new friend more fascinating every day."

"I fear that you may inadvertently distract—"Bahri started.

"No, it's okay," Aeolus immediately cut in. _Better to have Achaz right out front where I can see him than stalking me around the corner._

"I promise to hold my peace," Achaz declared.

"Very well." Bahri continued to lead the way as the Ruairi fell into step beside the turtle.

'"I hope that you do not mind the interest I have taken in your exercise, Aeolus," Achaz said.

"_Should_ I mind?"

Achaz smiled. "You are surprising me, terrapin, and that is not easy to do. I do not wonder why the elohim wanted you for the Elite."

The turtle sighed. He was tired of thinking about the team he'd been pressed into joining and his stupidity in following Nizar. "They're irrelevant. The Elite is gone, and I'm here with you."

"They are not all 'gone', you know," Achaz told him. "That was only one small faction of the Elite. While I am grateful to see them wiped off this planet, there are yet many more."

_I was afraid of that, _he thought ruefully.

The three different figures continued working their way into the belly of the mountain. The counsel room turned out to be as dark and empty as Aeolus had come to expect, and he headed for the sunken platform without waiting to see what Achaz would do.

"I have several files already cued," Bahri mentioned. "Would you like to proceed?"

Aeolus settled against the back of a cushion. "Yeah, let's go for it." _And I can pretend like Achaz isn't here if I need to._

"There is no shortage of material on the martial arts, but at the same time you must be aware that not all clips are equal," Bahri said. "Some of these files are exhibitions more related to entertainment, whereas I would prefer to show you the real thing. Here we go then."

* * *

><p>After an hour or so of watching fighters square off in rings, Aeolus was somewhat less than impressed. The "sparring matches" were short and displayed very little of anything that resembled the forms he'd been practicing with.<p>

"Maybe my style doesn't originate from Earth," the turtle mentioned. "Maybe it's indicative of where I came from."

"I can change directions if you are tiring of this one, Aeolus," Bahri replied, shifting through several screen-shots as once. "Only tell me what you desire to see and I will try—"

"Wait," Aeolus ordered. "Go back."

"Go back where, Aeolus?"

"Just scroll backwards slowly, and I'll tell you when to stop." The turtle watched closely for the still image that had caught his eye to begin with, and cried out when the individual with the long blade appeared. "That one!"

The elohim selected the file to play, but Aeolus almost wrote it off as he realized the scene was from a "produced" program, probably only for commercial value. He opened his mouth to ask Bahri to try another, when the appearance of a shirtless man demonstrating the use of the weapon made him hesitate.

The human simultaneously described the sword and displayed techniques with it. His obvious skill with the "katana" struck Aeolus so hard that he found himself hanging on the man's every word. Even as the scene continued to play out before him a flash of awareness surged through his mind. The vague memory of a shadowy figure using a katana confirmed his familiarity with the weapon. He wasn't aware that his companions were staring at him until Bahri paused the feed.

"What is it, Aeolus? You look so intense that I cannot take it anymore," the elohim asked.

"It's that weapon," he replied, closing his eyes. "I can see it in my mind like its right in front of me. What he said about a blade and a warrior being one…I've felt that. Something about the way he moved…it's subtle, but it feels similar to my style."

"Then we are getting closer on this track following martial arts?" Bahri asked.

The turtle nodded. "I suppose, but…Bahri, I don't know if my mind is going to trigger this way."

"Aeolus, you have to be patient. I will not stop looking until we have success."

"And I appreciate your efforts, really. But I think I'd rather take some time for reflection on my own. You were the one who told me that straining wouldn't get me anywhere. It may benefit me to have some time alone with my thoughts. Does that make any sense?"

"It does to me," Bahri acknowledged, getting to his feet.

Achaz stood too, never taking his eyes off the turtle. "Can you promise me that no matter what happens, whether you can remember everything or not, you will at least consider staying with us?"

"Why do you want me to be here so badly?"

Achaz exchanged a glance with Bahri. "My ally could probably explain it better than I can, but you are _marked_, terrapin. There is greatness upon your shoulders. I do not know where you came from, or why you are here, but there are some who would say it is no accident. I cannot claim to be one of them yet, but I do not want to watch you walk away either."

"Not unless you count kidnapping as being accidental," the turtle said sarcastically.

"I understand that the physical act of an abduction took place, but it seems that there could be _more_ to your arrival here than some whim of the Anunnaki. Too many things have happened too quickly," Achaz explained.

"I don't know what you could be referring to, but yes, I can make you a couple of promises. I will think any course of action over before I make it, and I will not harm another creature except in my own defense. Does that satisfy you?"

The Ruairi nodded. "It will have to do. Good luck, Aeolus," he finished sincerely.

The turtle gave Achaz a real smile as the two aliens retreated from the room, and then looked over at the screen across from him, frozen on the image of the human thrusting his katana. He took a deep breath of air and let it out slowly. Leaning his head against the back of the cushion, he summoned the vision of sword-play that had briefly played through his mind.

The memory was fuzzy, appearing to be little more than he dream he wouldn't remember when he woke up. He didn't strive with the scene or allow frustration to build up this time, but waited for the image to change on its own.

When his eyes had been closed for several minutes he felt like he could go to sleep, but his mind wasn't going dark. If anything, he felt more alive and quickened than he had in conscious remembrance. Aeolus now realized that the figure appeared to be a younger version of himself, still muscular and athletic, but the freshness in his eyes that were bound behind a blue mask betokened youth.

Aeolus watched the single blade circle and twist as though it were alive, fascinated by the keen edge of the deadly katana. In the time he'd been witnessing the forms the rest of the world faded into the background, and that which was in his mind was the only reality.

The level of determination and fire that the young warrior possessed was startling. When the turtle paused in the exercise, Aeolus was disappointed, thinking he was finished. Instead the swordsman drew a second katana and began all over again, this time weaving both blades through maneuvers that each seemed more complicated than the last.

Aeolus silenced the questions trying to intrude, fighting to remain focused _only _on the warrior. He felt nothing, not the cushion beneath him, nor the slight chill that always hung in the air. There was no large empty room filled with computers or monitors watching everything he did. There was just the young swordsman, who felt so real that the turtle imagined he could reach out and touch him.

Goosebumps rose across his skin as the lithe warrior leaped from the ground, twisting both katana around his body in a calculated strike while unleashing a powerful yell that resonated deeply inside Aeolus. Unexpectedly the young turtle laid down both blades, dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

A second smaller figure came into view in front of the warrior, and Aeolus' heart beat faltered. _"Good. That is more than enough, my son."_

The young one's head rose after another beat. _"Hai, Sensei."_

The instantaneous rift of pain through his skull threatened to darken the memory completely. Aeolus felt himself pitching forward, yet there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He tenaciously tried to cling to the vision, but the excruciating sensation was so powerful that he fleetingly wondered if he was dying.

_No, I can't lose it, not now, not…Sensei! _He trembled uncontrollably on the floor, gritting his teeth against the agony. He was still warring to hold onto the memory when he heard the hiss of the door in the background, followed by rapid footsteps.

"Aeolus! Aeolus!"

The turtle wasn't capable of responding while he experienced another strong set of convulsions. "SENSEI!"

The bursting of the dam inside his mind caused his breathing to hitch under the pain and the flood of images and memories which assaulted him. At the moment he wasn't sure he could take any more, warmth spread over the turtle from the top of his head all the way to his feet, and peace struck like a gong to silence every wave rolling over his consciousness. "_Sensei_."


	20. Allies

***Just a quick reminder today that everything will be evened out with the brothers as the story continues. We have to focus with Leo for the moment, but I swear...we'll catch up with everyone else. ;)**

* * *

><p>Bahri swallowed at the sight of the enraged terrapin, despite the creature being behind electrified bars. "Please stay back, Aeolus," he urged him softly. "I do not want to see you injured."<p>

"_Stop_ calling me that and let me the shell out of here!" the alien thundered. "I already told you that I'm not going to hurt anyone!"

"You also told me that you would give serious consideration to any move before you made it, Leonardo, and yet you immediately tried to bolt," Achaz pointed out. "Just how far can we trust your word?"

"Apparently a lot farther than I can trust _you, _Achaz! So help me, if you don't let me out I'm _going_ to hurt you! I dare you not to take me seriously!"

The golden-haired elohim took a seat silently close by. He'd never been witness to a creature breaking the mind barrier before and therefore didn't know what to expect when he found Aeo—Leonardo in throes of agony. The terrapin settled down for a few minutes, only to _explode_ in a desperate bid to get out of the fortress.

"I cannot give you free reign to do as you please while you are acting irrational, Leonardo," Achaz retorted. "When you calm down and behave like the even-tempered, reasonable creature that you are, I will release you – but not before."

It was the Ruairi who'd stunned the terrapin and insisted upon placing him back inside containment, even though Bahri knew it would upset the alien.

"You _don't_ understand," Leonardo proclaimed. "My family, my friends are in trouble! Those stupid elohim have them, and _you're_ the ones who told me how twisted they are!" He focused burning brown eyes on Bahri. "I don't have any time to lose. I have to get back to the settlements; I _have_ to find them!"

Bahri looked away from the terrapin, unwilling to bear the brunt of the angry gaze. He was content to let Achaz do the talking for the moment.

"How do you intend to do any of that, Leonardo?" Achaz challenged. "You do not know where you are going, or have a way to get there. You also do not know where they are being held, or how to get past their Anunnaki captors. If any of them catch so much as one glimpse of you, it will be over, terrapin. You are too unique."

"I don't NEED you to tell me how impossible this is! Just get out of my way so I can start after them, and I'll figure everything out as I go along. Finding them is the only thing that matters."

"Does it honestly matter to you, Leonardo? If that is true, this rage is a waste of your time. Face it, terrapin: you need help. You cannot save your loved ones on your own," the Ruairi told him.

Bahri shook his head sadly. As much as he didn't agree with the Ruairi's tactic, he _had_ to side with his logic.

"I can do a lot more from out _there_ than I can behind bars, Achaz! Let me GO!"

"This is for your own good, Leonardo, and for your family. You will not get them back this way. Even if you _could_ locate Arcadia, it makes no difference. There are far too many enemies. You may kill a few of them if you catch them without rifles, but they will destroy you in the end. How would that help your loved ones?"

"Don't talk to me like you actually care," Leonardo spat. "Just because I'm not willing to let you use me—"

"Terrapin, do you want to live or die?" Achaz's voice rose, exasperated. "There is a large wilderness to cross before you come close to Arcadia, and very little water. As stubborn and skilled a warrior as you may be, everything is against you! All I am trying to do is prevent you from throwing your life away needlessly."

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here and rot for a few more weeks, while trying to imagine what the elohim are doing to my family? Even for Jenna alone…" Leonardo shuddered, and something that looked like fear crossed his face. "You don't know how serious the situation is," he insisted. "I can't wait! It's already been too long!"

Bahri got back to his feet slowly. "Leonardo, everything that I told you about the Anunnaki is true. But it is also true that they are usually slow to act, particularly when the unfamiliar is involved. They would not readily harm your brothers."

"Right, because we're the freakish oddity even here, aren't we?" Leonardo asked bitterly. "But what about our friends?"

"The Overlords are not given to waste," Bahri replied. "It is unlikely that _any_ of them have been seriously harmed."

The turtle turned his back on him, facing the wall. "There is _nothing_ you can say to make me feel better about this. If you're not going to release me, then leave me alone. I'm done talking to both of you."

Bahri exchanged a look with Achaz, and the Ruairi merely shrugged.

"Have it your way, terrapin," Achaz said. "We will check on you later."

The elohim followed Achaz out of the room, leaving only a single watchman behind. "What do we do now?"

Achaz shook his head. "We wait. He will not remain unreasonable forever. Leonardo is an intelligent creature, and you are the one who said he also appears to be a strategist. He will come to his senses."

"Let us hope so," Bahri said stiffly.

"I know you do not want him imprisoned, Bahri, but tell me, what choice did I have? I had to act."

"I suppose," the elohim said faintly. "But it will not bring him any closer to trusting us. I was _getting_ somewhere with him, Achaz."

"He will calm down. In the meantime, why not try getting some rest? I know that you did not sleep last night."

"I will try," Bahri returned.

The two parted ways, and the elohim shuffled heavily down another wing to his quarters. Despite a restless evening, he was wide awake when he settled onto his bed. Bahri leaned on his side, staring at the wall bleakly. He _wanted_ to sleep, but his mind was too disturbed by the events of the last several hours.

His blue eyes wandered across the room, focusing on the crystal that was sitting on top of a storage chest. It had been several days since he'd checked in with Ghyath, not since right after the assault that introduced the terrapin into their lives. Perhaps speaking to his friend would alleviate enough of the burden to allow him to rest.

Bahri rose and retrieved the communicator, running his index finger underneath the crystal to activate the stone. With a couple of deft strokes he selected Ghyath's device, and waited to see if the elohim could respond to his hail. He was pleased when a small flash signified that his friend had received the message, but Ghyath didn't speak immediately.

Bahri settled down on the edge of the bed to wait. His friend would probably need to remove himself to a safe distance before he could talk openly. Minutes passed, and he remained patient. A smile appeared when Ghyath finally addressed him.

_"My apologies, Bahri. My cohorts would not stop talking to me. Getting away from them was a little difficult."_

_"I am sorry to bother you in the middle of the day, brother. I know evening is better, but I could not wait that long," _Bahri told him.

_"What is it, Bahri?" _Ghyath's concern leapt to the surface. _"What is the matter?"_

_"It is all rather complicated and confusing. The last few days have been strange, to say the least."_

_"I received your 'all clear' signal after the trap was sprung on the Elite, but I expected to hear from you before now. Tell me, are you troubled greatly by the climate?"_

The elohim both knew better than to speak candidly of discontent with the Ruairi, so they'd developed code words.

_"No, it is not the climate. I suppose that some things cannot be helped, but…"_

_"Bahri, tell me what is going on."_

_"When the Elite attacked us a few nights ago, they were not alone. There was another member on their team, a creature unlike anything I had ever seen. A skilled warrior who could have killed Achaz, had he not hesitated."_

_"Who hesitated?"_

_"The Assassin. The stranger was in the perfect position to slay him, and then offered him the chance to do honorable combat."_

_"That does not sound like something the Overlords instilled in him."_

_"No; rather I think it was his character bursting _out_ of him, despite the fact that he went through reorientation."_

_"How do you know he experienced that procedure?"_

_"Because a sniper rescued Achaz, and he allowed the alien to live. He has been our prisoner more or less, though we became more lenient once we were convinced he would not try to kill us all. The warrior was deceived by the Elite. The elohim fed him many lies so that they could use him for their own purposes."_

_"Does that shock you?"_

_"Not at all. Achaz has allowed me the opportunity to work alongside the creature and research files from the database to try to help trigger him."_

_"I do not understand, Bahri. If you know nothing of this alien, how can you determine what to show him?"_

_"For whatever reason, he has spent an extraordinary amount of time on Earth. He speaks English like it is his first language, as well as Japanese. None of it makes sense, Ghyath, but we now know for certain that he was abducted from Earth, along with his brothers and three additional humans."_

_"How do you know this?"_

_"Because he broke through the mind barrier yesterday and very nearly went berserk. Achaz stunned the creature and put him back behind bars. The alien is furious, and rightly so. I hate seeing him confined, but part of me has to agree with Achaz. I fear the creature may do something drastic, whether he is prepared for it or not._

_"My heart is heavy, and I do not know how to ease it. I am not sure how far the Ruairi will go to help him, Ghyath. Retrieving his family and friends from the corners of Arcadia to which they have been scattered will be incredibly difficult."_

_"Do you wish to help him, Bahri?"_

_"It has taken me a long time to get into the Ruairi's confidence, and the thought of leaving them behind is discouraging. But there is something about this terrapin—"_

_"Did you say _terrapin_?"_

_"He looks like one of the Earth creatures, yet his DNA is not pure, but a hybrid of two separate strands. He is literally half human and half turtle."_

_"But he is rational?"_

_"Absolutely; there is no doubt of that." _Bahri heard his friend draw a deep breath_. "What did I say, Ghyath?"_

_"This terrapin creature - I believe I have seen one like him."_

_"Are you certain?"_

_"I could not say for sure, not unless I saw the alien of which you speak. Judging from your description, I have a hard time believing that they are not related."_

_"Hold on." _Bahri fought to control his breathing. _"_Where_ have you seen one of them?"_

_"He is _here_, breaking ground with the other slave ranks. He turned up in the 125th unit weeks ago. As strong and stubborn of a creature as I have ever seen."_

Bahri had to loosen his grip on the crystal before he accidentally cracked it. "_Would it be possible for you to capture an image of him, Ghyath?"_

_"I will do my best; it may take me a few minutes. I have to locate where he is working today."_

_"Do it, Ghyath."_

_"All right. I will contact you as soon as I can."_

Bahri dropped the device onto the side table, not bothering with a response. _If this is true, if Ghyath has access to one of these creatures too, how can we call this mere coincidence? I do not think it is possible. _He sat silently on the edge of the bed for a while, before deciding to get his hand-held screen. If Ghyath was able to capture an image, he would send it to the device for him to view.

Bahri shifted on his perch nervously every few seconds. _Knowing where another of them is may not change things, _he thought sadly. _It will not help us to find the rest of them, particularly those who are under lockdown. It is clear that the elohim pushed the terrapins far apart, to make sure they would not retain their memories. _

_I do not know how I can help Leonardo if the Ruairi will not go along with it. Achaz may be willing to do something, but not be out of the goodness of his heart. He will help the terrapin if it somehow benefits _him_. _

Bahri looked up as he heard the hail come from his device, and he swept a finger across the crystalline screen. There was no text, but only a single screen-shot of a sun-drenched field full of workers. The elohim scanned the picture, disregarding the humans in his quest for the one creature he needed to see.

It only took seconds to locate the alien, set apart by his muscular frame and coloring. Bahri adjusted the image to zoom in on the terrapin. Piercing amber eyes burned through the screen, like the creature _knew_ he was invading his personal space.

"By El…" The elohim set the screen down as he was shaken with a tremor. A few moments later the crystalline surface flashed and a text field appeared.

_What say you, Bahri? Is he like the one on your side?_

He picked the device up once more and selected letters to make a response. _There is no mistaking them, Ghyath. They are the same race. I should have told you about mine days ago._

_The question is, what are you going to do now? _Ghyath asked.

_I do not know. I want to help him, but I am not certain of the support I will receive from the Ruairi._

There was a long pause on Ghyath's end, and then, _I heard some news last night that could make them more willing to venture close to Arcadia. I am not sure it will be enough, but it does not hurt to try._


	21. Cooperate

Leonardo was curled up in the furthermost corner of the containment unit, head bowed so that it was nearly grazing his knees. The turtle had experienced an incredible number of frustrating days in his lifetime, but this one had to rank up within the top ten. He felt as if every single muscle in his body was wound extremely tight, ready to snap.

The turtle was overwhelmed by the sheer onslaught of emotions to the point that he'd shed some tears, though he wouldn't let his captors see them. His mind was reeling in too many different directions to form a cohesive thought. _Bahri had better be right about those Overlords. If they're hurting anyone else, there will be hell to pay. Yanking us off our own world was bad enough._

Leonardo swallowed as rage consumed him again. He was tempted to start beating the walls, just for something to strike. His forehead dipped lower while helplessness brought him crashing back down from the pinnacle. _I can't do anything worthwhile on my own, even if I'm not willing to admit it to Achaz yet. But I have to try _something_! I wan't let everyone else rot or be killed. Who knows what they're being put through at this very moment?_

A great tremor took him as he imagined the rest of their family and friends on Earth without a clue as to where they'd gone. _Shell, they have to be so confused. I wouldn't know what to think if I was in their position._

The faces of his loved ones had run through his mind for hours, but he sighed longingly as he focused on the image of his blond-haired wife. _You know I haven't abandoned you, Calley. You've got to be able to feel that, no matter how far away we are. If there's any chance I can find a way to get _all_ of us home, I'm going to take it. I'm not going to die out here in the wilderness or give up because I don't know where to start._

Leonardo raised his head resolutely, and was startled to realize that Bahri had entered the room. He glared at the elohim from across the cell, hoping the look spoke louder than words.

"Leonardo, I have something I must show you." The elohim's voice shook. "But before I do, I must somehow convince you that I had no prior knowledge of the information before this afternoon. I was troubled so I reached out to contact one of my brothers, who is serving as a type of 'plant' inside the elohim's territory. He helps oversee a number of labor units that work on the outskirts of the settlements."

_And I care why?_

"You do not need to move," Bahri continued. "I ask only for you to take a look at the image I have acquired since speaking with him."

The turtle's scowl didn't lessen, but he was too curious not to turn his head when the elohim activated the projection.

"Give me a moment to adjust this properly so you can see him."

Leonardo looked at Bahri impatiently, and the elohim nodded at him to return his attention to the wall. The surface flashed and the picture appeared without any more delay. The turtle was shocked to see an image of his hot-headed brother, bereft of his trademark mask.

"Raph," he said softly. "He's alive."

"Alive and well from what my contact tells me. The Overlords have put his muscles to heavy use, but he is fine otherwise."

Leonardo rose to his feet and approached the bars cautiously. "Bahri, you can't keep me in here. My family needs me, and there are more people waiting for us at home. They have to be worried sick. I don't have time to be locked up. I've got to take action."

"You also need help, Leonardo," the elohim said bluntly. "Are you able to admit that?"

"I'll shout it from the rooftop if it'll get me out of here."

"That will not be necessary," Achaz stated, appearing suddenly from around the corner, where he must have been listening unseen. "What you _must_ agree to do is follow our lead, Leonardo. You do not know what you are doing where these cursed elohim are concerned. You are a strong warrior, and that is good and well, but it is not enough to defeat the Overlords on your own."

"Are you suggesting you'd be willing to help get my family back?"

"You are not the only creature who has a loved one behind enemy lines," Achaz answered. "Two weeks ago a small unit of Ruairi came under attack, when they were not even provoking the elohim. We thought that our brothers were all lost, until we received information from this same plant that provided the tip about _your _brother.

"The Overlords took one of the Ruairi hostage, which is an unusual act for them where we are concerned. It happens to be one of our oldest and most revered leaders, and the thought of what the elohim may do with him is sickening. If we can create an opportunity to both retrieve him and your brothers, it is possible we may be able to help each _other_."

"You'd help me break in?" Leonardo wanted to believe it, but it was hard. "But we don't know where everyone is."

"We know where _one_ of your brothers is, and we will start there," Bahri replied. "We have probably also pinpointed a second. Ghyath tells me there has been talk surrounding a new contender in the Matches; a creature who sounds similar to one of you."

"What are the Matches?"

"Mock battles that are organized by the elohim. They are considered to be a sort of…" Bahri hesitated.

"They are for live entertainment," Achaz filled in. "The battles are set up, but the injuries are real. Some of the fighters are willing participants, and others are not. They keep an entire crew of slaves on hand just to serve as opponents inside the Matches."

"In other words, they're being forced to fight for their lives?" Leonardo demanded. "I like this race less by the minute."

"Will you work together with us, Leonardo?" Achaz asked. "If we release you, can we be allies in this matter?"

The turtle nodded. "I know I need help. We can't stall though, Achaz. There's no telling what's happening to them."

"I understand that very well, Leonardo. Our Ruairi is probably in the most danger of all, for the elohim have no reason to keep him alive. They may be trying to extract information from him, but when he refuses to speak, death will be waiting. We are together, terrapin?"

Leonardo nodded once more. "I'm in all the way, Achaz."

* * *

><p>Tytus took a long drink from a water-skin and shot Ezra a look. "Do you see that Overlord up there on the ridge? Look real slowly. Don't be obvious."<p>

The red-haired man turned around carefully, glancing at the figure the turtle indicated. "What of him, Tytus?"

"He's weird. I don't like the way he's watching us. He's been up there for too long."

Ezra shook his head. "Don't fret over him, Tytus. If you are in trouble with the elohim, they'll be up front with you."

"Maybe, but there's still something funny about him."

Ezra's gaze flicked to the Overlords that were only a few feet away from them on the ground. "Perhaps we shouldn't discuss that now."

The turtle's brow creased as he wondered what the man's deal was, but he shut his mouth. He gave the water-skin back to his friend, and reached for his pick-ax to resume breaking up the soil to receive seed. It was hotter today, but the break of the murky clouds was a welcome sight. _If it's not gonna rain, it may as well clear up every now and then._

Tytus felt someone's eyes on him several times over the course of the next hour while they focused on their assigned patch of land, but he tried to ignore the sensation. _I'm used to being watched by now. I don't get why one stupid elohim would bother me this much. _He finally chanced another look over his shoulder, but the Overlord had retreated out of sight.

The turtle grunted under his breath in frustration and gave another mighty swing with his pick-ax to the soil. _Gotta just forget about him. _To get his mind off the phantom watcher, he looked over at Ezra. "So there's planting, irrigating…all kinds of steps we gotta follow, right?"

"It's a never-ending cycle, and a continual quest for more water," the man replied. "There are many more groups like ours working to provide food for a large enough harvest."

Raphael scanned left and right to make certain they were out of earshot. "You know what I don't understand? They've got ships, and cruisers, and all kinds of stuff. Have they ever thought of creating some machine to make _this_ process easier?"

"They could, but they won't," Ezra said dryly. "You must understand their mindset, Tytus, and why they started collecting slaves to begin with. The elohim want to rule over someone. They have no subjects of their own, except for a few lousy ducaz. Creating and controlling legions of slaves is not so much about _needing_ them, as it is their desire to be masters over everything that breathes."

"That doesn't make sense to me."

"It wouldn't, Tytus, because you view freedom as a good thing. To the Overlords, forcing the humans to serve them is a means of humbling them and keeping them under their thumb. I'm not sure which is worse: being relegated to the fields for all eternity, or having to wait on them hand and foot inside their homes."

Tytus made a scoffing sound. "I can tell ya what _I'd_ rather be doing."

"The household duties are normally assigned to the women, though labor is often not the only thing they're used for." Ezra grimaced. "The elohim pretend to be repulsed by everything that does not fit their view of perfection, but it doesn't stop them from taking advantage of some of the women however they please."

The turtle shook his head as he slammed the blade of the pick-ax into the earth with all of his might. "Isn't there anybody out there who's bigger than these elohim? Has anyone ever _tried_ to fight them?"

"The Ruairi have frequent skirmishes with them, but those can hardly be considered real battles. Their numbers are too few. If there were more of them, or…" Ezra trailed off, staring to the left of the turtle.

Tytus turned his head, but by his estimation it didn't look like the Overlords were coming any closer. "What's wrong, Ezra?"

"It's not a safe topic of conversation, Tytus."

"Okay, sure, Man." The turtle quickly decided to change the subject. "It's kinda cool to see the sun today, even if it makes it feel hotter."

Ezra nodded, but looked distracted. "It is also a good thing because they will probably dismiss us earlier."

"I guess having a bunch of slaves collapse on them doesn't help their cause, huh?"

The man gave him a faint smile. "You're right there, Tytus."

"You're pretty tough for…" Tytus hesitated.

"For what? An old man?"

"That wasn't what I was gonna say." He recovered quickly. "Old_er_, maybe."

Ezra shook his head. "Working for the Overlords does tend to keep one in shape – not that I have to tell you about bulking up, turtle. You seem to have that down-pat already."

Tytus shrugged with a smirk. "Some guys just have a natural gift."

Ezra laughed and swung his own blade with a little more energy. "You wear me out, Tytus. How about we try and save our breath for a while? I think I need mine more than you do."

"Don't be humble, Ezra. Where's the fun in that?"

The man laughed once more. "You'd know, wouldn't you?"

The turtle felt lighter as he continued working beside the man, experiencing a sense of companionship that he hadn't realized he was missing. The thought no sooner crossed his mind than he instinctively _knew_ he was being watched again. Tytus didn't bother glancing at the ridge. _If he wants a show, I'll give 'im one._


	22. Defiance

***You know how every cloud has a silver lining? Yasir has a couple too...even if he's only motivated for himself.**

* * *

><p>Virtus was doodling on the precious paper tablet Kamryn had managed to rustle up for him, playing with numbers to keep his mind occupied. Once he'd completed a couple of equations, the turtle was hooked into filling out several more pages of math problems.<p>

He was working on devising a new set of numbers when he heard his door release, and glanced up to see the young woman walking in. Virtus began to smile, but it faded when he saw how pale Kamryn looked.

The turtle instantly jerked to his feet. "Are you all right, Kamryn? What's wrong?"

"Virtus, it's not me, it's…Can you sit down please?"

The turtle obeyed with a pleading look. "What's going on? Just tell me what I need to know."

"You are scheduled for a Match this afternoon," she replied in a tiny voice.

"Okay," Virtus said guardedly. "Can you help prepare me? Who am I coming up against?"

"He is an alien you have not encountered before, but, Virtus—"

"Kamryn, it'll be all right. You've got to have some faith in me." He smiled, hoping she would reciprocate.

"Virtus, _listen_. This is not a normal Match. It will be taking place inside of the Coliseum again, and you will be expected to do more than simply win the fight."

"What do you mean?"

"It is assigned to be a Death Match."

The words were so shocking that Virtus couldn't move his mouth to form the questions and exclamations that were screaming to get out. Finally he forced a deep breath. "Tell me what that means in English."

"It means the Match must end in death; either yours, or your opponent's," Kamryn replied numbly, although her eyes betrayed every emotion she was feeling.

"Do they want me to kill someone, or do the elohim want _me_ dead?" the turtle wondered, staring at the floor. After a moment he looked up at Kamryn, firmly resolved. "I can't do it, Kamryn. I can defend myself, or stand up for another person…but there is no _way _that I'm going to kill someone for the Overlords' entertainment. I won't do it!" he finished emphatically.

Her gaze was searching for something other than him to focus on. "I know, Virtus. I knew you would not be willing to do such a thing."

"Don't get me wrong, Kamryn – I'm not going to stand there and let someone else kill me either. I'll fight for my life, but I refuse to murder someone just because the elohim tell me to. What will happen if I don't comply?"

"There is no definite law, as it were. The elohim may kill one or both combatants on the spot. They may harm you, or mete out some other form of severe punishment. I just don't know, Virtus."

"Well…we're about to find out," the turtle said grimly.

* * *

><p>Virtus' heart was beating faster when he entered the Coliseum with Kamryn at his side than it had on his first trip there. <em>Shell, I didn't realize that was possible. <em>The turtle's eyes scanned the arena floor, searching for his alien opponent. _I'm probably going to be in for the fight of my life. Where is this guy?_

Virtus saw three elohim near the center of the floor, but it wasn't until the Overlords shifted out of the way that he got his first glimpse of the Ruairi, as Kamryn had called him. From her description of the creature he was expecting a beast that was ready to lay it all on the line, but the alien in front of him barely looked like he could _stand_.

The Ruairi was hunched over and breathing with obvious difficulty. His large multi-colored wings were partially unfurled, torn and blood-stained. Despite the distance, it was easy to tell that the alien had already been victim to violence.

"They can't be serious," the turtle said quietly to Kamryn. "They can't be! This guy is in no condition to fight. He can't even stand up straight! It isn't fair!"

"They're not looking for a fair fight, Virtus. It appears they chose you specifically to kill him."

"Why _me_? If they want him dead so badly, why not do it themselves? Do they not want to get their hands dirty?"

"Perhaps, but driving someone else to kill is also a means of controlling them. Remember, they thrive on forcing others to do their bidding."

"They're not going to _thrive_ with me," he said angrily. "If I don't get another chance to say it, Kamryn, thanks. For everything."

The turtle extended an arm around her back, and the young woman limply leaned into the embrace. Virtus rolled his eyes at the elohim who was shouting at Kamryn, and then released her so that she could get out of the way.

Virtus slowly advanced to the center of the arena, tensing when he heard the tone that signaled the beginning of the Match. The turtle tried to appear non-threatening as he approached the Ruairi. He caught his breath upon seeing the lines in the alien's face and put it together with the silver streaked in his pony-tail.

_They didn't just bring me here to kill some captive they've nearly destroyed…they want me to murder an old man. This is ridiculous._

Virtus hesitated, staring at the creature, and the Ruairi raised his head to look back at him. His stunning gold-rimmed eyes had little life left inside of them. The alien spoke to him, but the turtle couldn't understand the language.

"I'm sorry," he stated. "I don't know your tongue."

"What are you waiting for?" the Ruairi responded in English. "You know why you are here."

"I know why they _brought_ me here," Virtus corrected. "But I have no intention of being controlled."

"I do not know what you mean. Please do not drag this out longer than necessary. One of my years deserves more dignity than that."

"I happen to agree," Virtus said. "That's why I'm not going to kill you. I'm not laying one hand on you."

The Ruairi cocked his head. "But…you do not have a choice. One of us must die, that is what they said. I cannot fight you."

"I don't _want _to fight you," the turtle returned.

Virtus looked away from the alien, scowling at the ring of elohim that stood around the edges of the arena floor. "I'm not doing it!" he shouted. "Do you hear me? You can't make me kill him!"

The constant voices of the crowd settled down somewhat, as their ears were no doubt trying to pick up on what he was saying. Virtus waited for the quiet to descend, scanning the room with disgust for all of the onlookers.

"If you want entertainment, you'll have to get it somewhere else! I'm not killing this Ruairi today, or any _other_ alien!" Virtus had no idea how far his voice carried through the Coliseum, but having spoken his piece he crossed his arms and defiantly stood still.

"You are being a fool, terrapin," the Ruairi hissed. "They will kill you for refusing."

Virtus whipped around to face him. "I'd rather die for refusing to do this, than live with the guilt and shame of my actions."

"You may get the chance," the alien said stiffly, nodding his head to indicate something behind the turtle.

Virtus turned once more to see that two Overlords were already within a couple feet of him. He swallowed nervously, but didn't move. There was nowhere to run. The elohim didn't say a word, but simply yanked him off the ground so hard that it wrenched his arms painfully.

The turtle dangled above the arena floor for several yards until he was hurled head-first into the iron bars that surrounded the stands. As he slumped backwards something solid struck his head hard enough to change his trajectory and he collapsed forward instead.

He was only in a dust for a few moments before being hauled upright and forced to face his captors. The turtle glared at them, abandoning fear. _If they're going to kill me, they won't get me to cower._

An Overlords spun a solid rod in his grasp, a weapon that Virtus remembered seeing a couple of them carry. With another violent twist, the elohim revealed a blunt edge on one end that glittered coldly under the spot lights. The blade traced the turtle's jawbone dangerously, hesitating on his carotid artery. The weapon remained poised, waiting only for the command to dispatch him.

Virtus was surprised to feel little sadness, but only regret that he'd never been able to recover the memories of who he'd once been.

* * *

><p>Yasir was torn between watching the scene being played out below, and trying to keep the Supreme Commander's attention on <em>him<em>. _"Altus Abeiron, I swear to you that I am not being swayed by this creature for the sake of emotion."_

_"Is that why you are begging for his life?"_ the Altus demanded sarcastically, silver irises practically glowing white-hot with anger. _"My mind is made up. You have no reason to require this alien."_

_"I have _many_ reasons to desire to keep him, Altus. He is one of only four of these creatures we have ever encountered. One already is probably dead, and I do not want to lose another."_

_"You have two more."_

_"Three is better, great Altus. Just because the terrapin _should_ be killed does not mean he must be. Consider his DNA and uniqueness, the fact that he is a hybrid we have yet to be able to recreate."_

_"You are already studying one, Yasir. If you intended to use more of them for your research, you should not have released this one to the Matches."_

_"Yes, I can see how it would have made more sense to keep him, Altus, but I wanted to push him. I needed to see what he was capable of physically."_

_"He is capable of outright defiance and worthy of death."_

_"But if he could serve a purpose, then the spilling of his blood would signify a waste." _It was Yasir's final argument, and perhaps the only one that Abeiron might heed.

The Altus said nothing for a few moments, and stepped closer to the ledge to stare at the arena floor. _"It is a shameful thing to waste that which can be readily used, Yasir, but I cannot be soft on these insects."_

_"Then punish him, Altus, as terribly as you can imagine. Only do not kill him. His life blood is more valuable to my research and our progress as a race than him simply serving as an example to others."_

_"He _will _be made an example of, Yasir," _the Altus said warningly. The Supreme Commander lifted his pendant, a large multi-faceted crystal of brilliant design. _"Do not kill the terrapin. I am still contemplating his fate," _he informed the elohim on the other side of the communicator.

Abeiron turned around to look at Yasir. _"All right, Doctor. What would you have me do with this Ruairi, since you are telling me what to do today?"_

_"I am your advisor only, great Altus._ _You will make the right decisions."_

_"But you _challenged_ my decision concerning the terrapin."_

_"I want what is best for our people, Altus, for them to continue to endure and prosper. If that means suffering a belligerent alien who could hold part of the key to another great advance in genetic manipulation, then I am willing to fight for it. But you remain our illustrious leader, and your word is final."_

Abeiron paced slowly in front of the overlook. _"Perhaps I have been thinking more for the moment than for our future. We may yet be able to break this stubborn Ruairi. And if he does not speak the location we desire, then he will die slowly, and not at the mercy of another slave. I _have _been hasty this afternoon, Yasir."_

_"You are ever wise, Altus. You have seen all matters through," _Yasir encouraged him.

Abeiron fingered his crystal again and hailed his sentries. _"Return both the terrapin and the Ruairi to their cells. Their fates will be decided soon." _The Altus replaced his pendant and shook his head at Yasir. _"I cannot be kind to the terrapin, Yasir. Whether you consider him to be a pet or not, he must learn to respect our commands."_

_"Act as you see fit, Altus."_

_"I will give this matter and that of the Ruairi the consideration they deserve. See that I am not disturbed by anything else today, Yasir."_

The elohim realized that he'd received his cue to leave. _"Yes, great one."_

Yasir bowed out of the room, releasing a sharp breath. _That was entirely too close for comfort. The things I do for science. _


	23. Friends & Brothers

Leonardo peered closely at the soft material, but was careful not to touch the hand-fashioned strips. They didn't appear to be completely dry yet. He was certain he'd driven one of the Ruairi half mad with how particular he'd been about the shades of dye, but at least the turtle was satisfied that the colors would be true to what he and his brothers were used to wearing.

He felt a pair of eyes surveying him and turned his head to see Achaz lingering in the doorway.

"Is this the project you kept Lajos busy with for three hours?"

Achaz _sounded_ amused, but Leonardo knew that the alien wasn't simply making conversation. The turtle gave the masks an appraising glance, and looked back at the Ruairi.

"Some things are important for reasons that I can't explain. A mask shouldn't define us, but in a way, it does. It's a naked feeling to be without them, and my katana for that matter." The dirks were sufficient weapons, but they couldn't take the place of the steel that he preferred over anything else.

Achaz took a seat and invited him to do the same. Leonardo slowly joined him, hoping that he was properly concealing his wariness. Trusting the Ruairi was necessary to a point, but the memory of being so quickly stunned and returned to confinement was hard to shake from his mind.

"We will reach your first brother's coordinates after nightfall, given that our pilot has timed our arrival correctly. We do not expect much difficulty in retrieving him. Your other brothers will be a different matter entirely, I am afraid."

Leo nodded grimly. "I'm prepared to do whatever I have to. This not knowing where they are or our friends is enough to drive me up the wall."

"The humans will be the hardest of all to uncover. Bahri has told me that with the sheer number of men and women in their database, it is hard to distinguish between them unless you know their assigned numbers, which are completely random. You and your brothers fall into a category that is all your own, which makes you easier locate in the system, and more memorable to those they are assigned to."

Leonardo nodded, fighting to portray a calm exterior. Inside he was so tense that he wanted to explode out of the cruiser and take off running. The thought of being so close to one of his brothers made him want to see him that much more. _This is going to be one of the longest afternoons of my life._

"Your eagerness must be great. I do not know how you contain it," Achaz said.

"It's hard," he told him. "I know it's only been a few weeks, but with everything that's happened, it feels a lot longer. I thought that _not _knowing everything was bad, but realizing the truth about how messed up the situation is and the danger my family's in…in some ways, it feels worse."

The turtle's gaze shifted to the window, watching as the wilderness flew by outside. The golden sand and rocks were broken up by occasional dull brown spiny shrubs that bore no greenery of any kind. "You'd have to know my family to understand how I'm feeling right now," he said finally. "We've been in a lot of terrible spots…but this is insanity."

"What are your feelings toward the elohim?" The Ruairi gave him a pointed look.

Leonardo settled further against his seat before responding. _He's been wanting to ask me for a while I'd wager. _"The Elite are the only ones that I met. As for the others, I can't say I have any kind thoughts for them, just based off the whole abduction and memory lapse. The stories I've heard from Bahri don't help either."

Achaz nodded thoughtfully. "Is it true you are also warriors where you came from?"

"My brothers and I practice ninjutsu, but we can't do it openly, not like here."

"The Earthlings are not aware of you for the most part."

"No, and it needs to stay that way."

"But then, who are you fighting with, Leonardo, and for what purpose?"

"The warfare we engage in is…" He paused, unsure of how much of the topic reflected only Achaz's curiosity, or if he had a deeper reason for asking. _They're already helping me, and they don't have to. I've got to give a little at some point._

The alien was staring at him quizzically, as though he couldn't understand why it was so complicated to explain.

"We fight for the humans, _against_ humans," Leonardo offered. "Defense is our goal. We stand up for people who can't fight back or save themselves."

"And you dedicate your lives to this cause?"

"To that and our family, yes."

"But how is it possible to accomplish the task of defending them _and_ remain invisible to the humans? The two ideas contradict each other."

The turtle smiled. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? Stealth and secrecy are trademarks of the ninja, and we had a very good teacher." Leonardo felt an unexpected pang of grief. Their Sensei had been gone for several years, but something about the process of breaking the mind barrier stirred up emotions again.

"Is the lifestyle everything that you desire?"

Leonardo's brow furrowed. "If you're asking whether we act out of our own will or some form of obligation, the answer is that we chose this. Our father taught us how to defend ourselves and others, but he never forced us to use the skills or take on the watchmen-style role we have. It fulfills us in a way that no other job can."

"Now you are here, in a strange place full of strange aliens. If your brothers and friends can be rescued, what then?"

The turtle shook his head. "I'm usually trying to plan farther down the road, but I can only focus in front of me right now. When I start thinking about the bigger picture, I get overwhelmed. We're light-years away from home, our family has no idea what's happened to us, and we don't even have each _other_ yet."

Leonardo sighed deeply. "I can't start to fathom the steps to take after being reunited. The dream is get back to Earth, of course, where we belong."

"That is a complicated thing," Achaz murmured. "It requires a special type of ship to cross the distance, and getting off this planet is more challenging than you know."

"Please don't add any more challenges to my mind just yet. Let me rest in some blissful ignorance until I need to know about it. In the meantime, I _am_ looking forward to seeing my brother tonight."

Leonardo got to his feet to check the material again, smiling as he probed the blue fabric of the first strip which had been dyed. It felt dry to touch, and he didn't want to wait any longer. The turtle tied on the mask that made him feel more like himself, and settled back down on the seat across from Achaz.

"It is an interesting look," the Ruairi commented.

"It's always worked for us," Leo said distractedly. _And I'm counting on _all_ of us using them again._

* * *

><p>"Tytus."<p>

The turtle opened sleepless eyes to stare up at the ceiling of their tent.

"Are you asleep?" Ezra asked, not giving him the chance to respond first.

"You told me not to go to sleep, Ezra."

Tytus was irritated with the man for asking, and for the weariness that made him _want_ to crash. Upon being released for the evening his friend had warned him to stay awake, but refused to say why.

"What's going on, Man? Why are you acting so weird tonight?"

"I need you to stay right where you are, okay, Tytus? I have to watch and be certain of what _I_ see."

"What are you trying to see? Has this got something to do with your friend from the other night? Are you gonna let me out of here with you this time?"

"Must you _always_ speak so loudly, turtle? You ask too many questions at one time. Yes, I am hoping to see a signal from my friend. Everything else will hopefully be answered soon."

Tytus rolled his eyes with a huff as he rose from his pallet. He was sick and tired of being left in the dark and not getting the real responses that he wanted. "This had better be worth my time," he muttered.

Ezra gave him a long look. "I hope it is, Tytus. I sincerely hope that it will be, for your sake. If it was only me…" The man didn't finish the sentence and appeared to be holding his breath.

"Ez—"

"_Shh!_" he ordered softly. "Be still, turtle. Not a sound."

Tytus' heart beat sped up as he silently waited, prepared to face down whatever was troubling Ezra. The human made a motion for him to stay put and crossed outside. The turtle fumed inwardly, struggling to breathe quietly while he wondered what was going on. He thought he could hear whispering, but there was no way to tell what was being said.

After what felt like an eternity, Ezra peeked back inside the tent. Tytus opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out as a tall elohim ducked into their shelter.

"Come over here, Tytus," Ezra instructed. "Don't be nervous. You have seen Ghyath before and recognized that he was watching us. He's a friend, and he has come to help us both."

The turtle eyed the Overlord suspiciously, expecting a trick.

"We do not have much time," Ghyath said urgently. "There is but a small window of an opening where we can spirit you out, and if we miss it, it will become much more challenging."

"Tytus, look." Ezra displayed his forearm to the turtle. "He took off my energy binder and he needs to remove yours. The Overlords will be able to incapacitate _and_ track you otherwise."

"Ezra, is all of this for real?"

"Do you want to be free?" the elohim asked point-blank.

"Doesn't everybody?" he retorted. Tytus glared at Ghyath uncertainly as the alien strode toward him.

"Then you need to do as I say," the alien said shortly.

The turtle saw the elohim's crystal flash in the darkness, and the ever-present band on his arm suddenly loosened. Ghyath pulled it off of him and tossed it carelessly away. Without another word the alien returned to the door and looked outside.

"All right," Ghyath said after a few seconds. "Come. Follow me, swift and silent."

Tytus shot Ezra an anxious glance, and the man nodded.

"It could be now or never, Tytus."

The turtle shuddered at the thought of "never". He stepped out of the shelter to follow the elohim, and Ezra brought up the rear behind him. Their surroundings were quiet, without so much as a wind or insect to disturb the nighttime stillness.

Ghyath didn't speak directions out loud, but simply moved in what appeared to be a deliberate path. Tytus hurried to stay with him. He was flooded with questions as to who this strange elohim was and why he would choose to help them, along with where they were going.

Ghyath led through shadows, avoiding the spotty patches of moonlight that fell across the landscape. In the distance Tytus could see fires that he knew signified the Overlords' dwellings, but their elohim guide was taking them no closer to their camp.

Presently they arrived at a rocky ridge, which Ghyath immediately began to climb. Tytus easily kept up with the elohim, but he winced every time he heard small stones scattering because of his companions. He couldn't help noticing that he was making less noise than either of them, but he chose not to say anything about it.

Tytus didn't know what to expect when they breached the top, but the sight of two land cruisers was startling. He stood still for a long moment, staring at the crafts while Ghyath moved toward them.

"Tytus, c'mon," Ezra insisted. "This is our way out."

The turtle couldn't explain his reluctance to move. He literally had to force one foot in front of the other while the man yanked his arm in haste. A sudden surge of movement up ahead stopped Tytus in his tracks again, as someone bolted out of the hatch of one of the cruisers.

Tytus' arms came up defensively when the figure sprinted toward them, prepared to protect himself and Ezra. The stranger was within about a yard by the time familiarity finally struck. The shadow's pace slackened, taking the last few steps more carefully.

"Raph, you _have_ to know me," the creature practically ordered. "Look – we're the same!"

As he stared at the masked _turtle_ standing across from him a sensation lit through his mind, reminding him of waking up from a very deep sleep. With the rush of life-giving buoyancy came incredibly sharp pain that almost drowned it out. The ground gave way underneath his feet while anguish knifed through his skull.

He was barely aware of the arms that lifted him, or the voices which surrounded on all sides as he was bustled onboard a craft. Someone was trying very hard to get him lie down, but he didn't want to. It was far more important to be awake.

Leaning heavily against a cushioned seat-back, the turtle fought down the urge to get sick and resisted the darkness which was trying to make him fold. When he opened amber eyes, he saw one of the most welcome sights he could have asked for.

"_Leo!"_

He jerked toward him so hard that he would have fallen out of the seat if his brother hadn't been there to steady him. Leonardo wrapped his arms around his shoulders tightly.

"The pain will pass, Raph, I promise. It really doesn't last that long after you've broken the mind barrier."

Raphael choked as emotion rocked his frame. "_What_ pain?"


	24. Questions

Raphael was reeling. After greeting the "long-lost" brother who was responsible for reintroducing him to himself, he'd been silent for almost half an hour while he processed memories and the events that led up to arriving on the strange planet. Leonardo was quiet too, satisfied to wait at his side until he was ready to talk.

The red-masked turtle made eye contact with his brother, drawing a deep breath. "So you figure it's been what…four, five weeks maybe?"

"As near as I can calculate it, Raph. Time is tricky. Hours, days, weeks, they're all measured by a different standard here. I don't think we can accurately determine how long we've been gone from Earth."

"Or even how long it took us to get here." Raphael grunted in irritation. "Dang, Fearless, we've been in some bad stuff before, but this is about as rotten as it gets, huh?"

Leonardo shook his head. "No. We're together - that means it's already better than it was."

"Well yeah, there's that. I'm happy to make your day, Bro." Raphael smirked at his brother, reveling in the small comfort of having someone familiar in his grasp.

Leo patted his shoulder with a smile. "They had a hard time holding me back, Raph. You can see who won out in the end."

Raphael snorted. "It's pretty obvious by the way you came flying off this thing."

He shrugged. "It's best to get out of the way where someone's family is concerned."

Raphael grimaced at Leonardo's choice of words. "What do you think is going through _our_ girls' heads, Leo?"

The blue-masked turtle's eyes darkened. "I don't know, Raph. I can't imagine what they're facing, or how they could be trying to find us."

Raphael sighed shakily. "I don't wanna imagine it, Leo, but I can't help it. Do they think we're dead? Are they sure someone's got us? How are the kids gonna understand…" The last question faltered on his tongue, and he slammed his fist into the sidewall of the cruiser.

The image of his three-year-old daughter wondering where on earth he'd gone was too much to take. He plunged his hand into the wall twice, not even caring when it went numb.

"Raph, don't do that!" his brother urged. "This material is stronger than the sheet metal they'd use on Earth." Leonardo grabbed his wrist carefully and showed Raphael that it was already starting to swell. "You could have broken it."

"Shell, Leo, what are we gonna DO? How are we supposed to find the others? How are we gonna get _home_?"

"One obstacle at a time, Bro. For starters, you've probably noticed we have some friends on our side."

"Yeah, what's the deal with these Ruairi, Leo? How'd you fall in with them?"

"It's a long story, which can wait until later. The important thing to note for right now is that we have some allies. Our elohim connections are also fairly certain of where Don and Mike may be held captive. It's not going to make it easier for us to get them back, but it's better than not knowing _anything_."

"Is that how you found me? Through these elohim that defected or whatever they wanna call it?"

Leonardo nodded and a strange look entered his brown eyes. "Your friend didn't tell you anything?"

"Ezra? No, apparently he didn't think it was important to share the fact that we were gonna be escaping tonight, _or_ that his secret friend was one of the Overlords." Raphael's brow furrowed while he looked away from Leonardo. _I'm starting to have some doubt over that guy. Why wouldn't he just _tell_ me? Forget about getting Ezra to trust _me_. Maybe I shouldn't have put so much blind faith in _him_._

"His friend Ghyath is the one who heard about Donny's predicament too. He's off making a name for himself," Leonardo muttered.

"What are you _talking_ about?"

"The Overlords have Don enlisted in some kind of forced fighting ring. He's being matched up with every alien under the sun."

Raphael's eye-ridges rose. "No kidding."

"Has yet to lose a Match according to what Ghyath heard."

The red-masked turtle hesitated for a few seconds, thinking over what Leonardo had just told him. "So Ezra's contact knew all about Donny."

Leonardo gave him a stern look as Raphael automatically formed another fist. "Don't you dare, Raph! You don't need a broken bone."

"Where's Ezra?" he hissed. "Do you know what they did with him?"

"No, but I'll ask."

"I wanna see him. We're gonna have to clear some air."

Leo gazed at him warily. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

His brother walked through their small cabin into an adjacent one, disappearing for less than a minute. "He's onboard this cruiser. Someone's going to summon him to come back here."

"Good. He'd better be ready to open up to me for real."

"You said he's been a good friend to you, Raph," Leonardo said slowly. "Now you're looking pretty angry."

"There's nothing _pretty_ about it, Bro, but I'll wait and see what Ezra has to say for himself. He helped me in a lot of ways, but he was keeping things from me too."

"Raph, don't go off attacking him the moment he—" Leonardo cut off abruptly as the red-haired man jogged into their cabin.

"So, Raphael it is?" Ezra asked.

Raphael could finally identify the man's Irish brogue, but it only distracted him from his purpose for a couple of seconds. "That's what it's been my whole life," he said coolly. "Why dontcha have a seat, Ezra? I got a couple of important questions for you."

"All right," the man said guardedly. "I suppose I owe you some answers."

"How long did you know about Donny?" Raphael asked bluntly.

"About who?"

"My brother, the guy they've got fighting everybody. You knew about him, didn't you? How long?"

Ezra inhaled sharply. "I didn't _know_ it was him, or that you had a brother—"

"But you _knew_ there was some other turtle out there who was being forced to fight against his will?"

"Yes," he admitted softly. "I knew."

"And you didn't think that was something _I _needed to know?"

"Tytus—"

"Raphael," he corrected instantly.

"Forgive me, turtle. I will get used to using your proper name."

"You don't have to get used to nothing. How long did you know about Donny?"

"Ghyath mentioned something about the Matches in passing roughly two weeks ago. But you must understand, Raphael, I couldn't have known he was of any relation to you. I didn't realize that the four of you are so unique. How could I have?"

"I don't expect you to know that we're not a _real_ race. But when you find out that someone who looks an awful lot like me is being used by the Overlords, it seems like you should have _told_ me!"

"I'd planned on telling you—"

"Like you planned on telling me about this little rescue operation before your guy showed up to spring us?"

"I'm sorry. I wanted to be more up front with you."

"You wanted to? That does me a fat load of good. It's nice that you _wanted_ to, Ezra, but you didn't. Why didn't you come right out and tell me?"

"Nothing is as simple as it seems, Tytus."

"_Raphael!_" he exploded. "Now the way I see it, you either think I'm so dumb I can't handle knowing the truth, or there's gotta be some darker reason you wouldn't tell me anything."

"Neither of those statements are true, Raphael," Ezra replied. "Land alive, turtle, I _know_ you aren't stupid! I wasn't trying to hurt anyone, least of all you."

"Then tell me why, Ezra. Why did you hide this crap from me?"

The human looked over his shoulder instead of responding, and Raphael realized that one of the Ruairi had entered the cabin. He'd been too preoccupied with the Irishman to notice when the alien arrived.

"I'm sorry that I did wrong by you, friend. That was not my intention," Ezra replied finally.

The red-masked turtle made a scoffing sound. "You ain't my friend. I don't know if you ever were. Do me a favor, and stay the shell away from me and my brother."

"Raphael…"

"No, Ezra. You _still_ ain't answering my questions straight, and I don't wanna listen to you anymore. You can go hang out with your elohim buddies, seeing as how they're your _real _friends." Raphael got to his feet and looked at the Ruairi. "Can you ask them to stop this thing?"

"For what purpose?" the alien asked.

"I need some air. Is that too much to ask?" Anger colored his voice, though he wasn't irritated with the Ruairi. He couldn't help noticing the alien finger his rifle, but he quickly removed his hand.

"I will find out if we have achieved a safe distance from the settlement," the Ruairi agreed.

When the alien left the room, Ezra followed him. That was perfect as far as Raphael was concerned.

"You may have been a little hard on him," Leonardo ventured.

"You don't have a clue what it's been like, Leo," he replied tersely.

"You're right." His older brother relented more easily than he usually would have. "But we need every ally we can get."

"Even the ones who are trying to hold us back for no good reason?" Raphael shook his head. "What he did was dead wrong, Leo, and he's lucky I didn't slug him."

The blue-masked turtle had nothing to say in response, and neither of them stirred again until the land cruiser came to a smooth stop. The same Ruairi returned to their cabin, and crossed through it to open a hatch for them.

"You have a few minutes," the alien told them. "We are a little ahead of schedule. You will not stray far?"

"You won't need a search party," Raphael said sarcastically. As he started through the door, he looked back at Leonardo. "You coming?"

"Do you _want_ me to?"

"I just got you back, Fearless. I don't want you outta my sight."

Leonardo followed him outside into the wilderness. The night air was cold, but Raphael ignored the chill as he roamed a short ways from the cruiser. He took several steps through the sand without speaking or bothering to glance at the nearly cloudless sky.

He finally stopped, resting both hands on his sides. "I feel like I could keel over, Leo. What have they been doing with Donny and Mike? Are they hurt, are they suffering? What about Brandon and Jazz? What about _Jenna_, Bro?

"I remember that stupid doctor who looked us over with a fine tooth comb. If he found out Jen's pregnant, what would he do with her? That's Donny's _kid_. They fought for this chance, and now _everything_ is screwed up." He stamped one foot into the ground, which only succeeded in burying it further into sand.

"The same questions are running through my mind, Raph, and I'm just as worried as you are. But like I said, we can only do one thing at a time. I don't know if we can achieve all of it, or _any_ of it. But Bahri told me that the elohim aren't quick to shed blood. If they're alive, it means there's hope. There's something we can hold onto. And now that we're together, it gives us one more reason to be optimistic."

"Did you _really_ just tell me that we ought to be optimistic?"

"They say when you've hit rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up, Raph. That's what I'm counting on." Leonardo's arm came around his shell, and the red-masked turtle didn't fight his embrace.

"I suppose this _is_ better than where I was earlier today," Raphael allowed.

"With any luck, we'll be in an even better place by tomorrow," Leonardo suggested.

"You might be daring to dream, Bro, but I'm behind you either way."


	25. Trust

Raphael stared at the two setting moons while the strange reality of their situation weighed heavily on his mind. They'd arrived at the Ruairis' mountain fortress at least two hours before, but neither he nor Leonardo were ready to sleep.

The red-masked turtle was grateful the aliens had at least taken the hint to leave them alone to reconnect. Leonardo had spent most of the last hour telling him every detail he could recall from his experience with the Elite, right up to meeting the Ruairi and being their captive.

"What's your take on these Ruairi, Leo?" he asked suddenly.

His older brother shook his head. "I'm still not sure, Raph. I'm certain there are a lot of things I don't know about them, and I'm _positive_ that their motivation for helping us doesn't come from pure intentions. That being said, they could have killed me in battle, and they didn't. They don't have to be here right now, but they are. Honestly, it's hard to put faith in _anyone_ given the way things have gone so far."

Raphael snorted under his breath in disgust, staring out at the wilderness. "Yeah, Fearless, you're gonna wanna think things through long and hard before you start getting chummy with anyone." He could feel Leonardo's keen eyes appraising him, but he pretended not to notice.

"Bro…I think you should take it easy on your friend."

"Leave it alone, Leo," he replied tightly. "You don't know Ezra. Neither do _I_ for that matter."

The blue-masked turtle nodded and said nothing more. Raphael focused on the pre-dawn sky, his mind drifting in their silence. Despite being out in the middle of the wilderness, there had been very few visible stars in the sky overnight.

_I wouldn't recognize 'em anyway. I don't know what difference it makes. _He sighed inwardly as he thought of their "Refuge" in the mountains of North Carolina. The family had only arrived there for a break from the city three days before they'd been unceremoniously abducted.

He remembered his three-year-old Olivia being overwhelmed by the vastness of the stars which couldn't be picked out from inside New York City. The little turtle had stayed up long past her normal bedtime along with him outside. _Karina would usually call me out for spoiling her, but even _she_ wasn't gonna put her foot down. We have so little freedom to expose Liv to the real world, that when we get to North Carolina it's like all the rules immediately go out the window._

Imagining the bronze-haired woman made Raphael physically ache. _Kari could probably handle Liv on her own better than I could, but she shouldn't have to. If we end up being stuck here, those Overlords will have hell to pay._

Leonardo nudged his side. "We're going to have to sleep at some point, you realize."

"Do we? I'm sort of afraid if I let go of my mind again, I might not get it back."

His brother gave him a half smile. "It doesn't work like that – trust me."

"I do," Raphael affirmed meaningfully. "That's why I'm gonna go along with whatever these Ruairi and elohim say, as long as you're cool with trusting them."

Leo released a short breath. "We have to put faith in someone…and they _have_ proved themselves in a couple of small ways. I just don't know how far we'll get without them in this environment. We're at a disadvantage, no matter how you look at it."

"We gotta do what we gotta do, huh?" Raphael sat up straighter on his rock. "Do you know what this weirdness is with the Ruairi's left hands?"

"You noticed that?"

"It's hard not to, Leo. They all hold them the same way, their fingers curled up like they're frozen or something."

"No, they can use that hand; I've seen them. I don't think there's anything technically wrong with them."

"You ever seen someone walk around like that, Bro? If there's nothing wrong with them, how can that be natural?"

Leonardo shrugged. "They were genetically altered, Raph. Who can say what's normal? I got a closer look at one of them while we were working on the masks together. His fingers look ordinary, but the nails were different. It appears they've been sharpened to a point."

"Huh. That's weird all right," Raphael commented. "But you're okay with these guys."

"I feel comfortable enough to say that. I'll never be sure about them until I understand their whole agenda. Maybe I shouldn't expect them to be completely open and honest with me, but it would easier if they were."

"Why wouldn't they wanna tell the truth, Leo, unless they've got something to hide?"

His brother shrugged once more. "They don't know us any better than we know them. We're the strangers here. There are probably all kinds of reasons."

"I guess," Raphael allowed. He looked over his shoulder at the Ruairis' fortress. "I wanna know what comes next, Leo, and how we're gonna find everybody. We're not going to figure that out sitting here though, are we?"

Leonardo _almost_ chuckled. "No. You also look like you could pass out, Raph."

He rubbed his forehead tiredly, and then focused on his temples. "Yeah…I probably could. I'm ready to go inside."

His brother climbed off of the rock first and offered him a hand. Raphael didn't _need_ his help to get up, but he didn't refuse it. They entered through the side door that was being guarded by two sentries, and Leonardo started to take the lead down the first corridor.

Raphael was surprised to see rapid movement in the hall ahead of them. Three figures were coming in their direction before they'd even taken five steps inside. _Shell, they must have been ready to pounce. Were they just sitting back waiting for us this whole time? _The red-masked turtle resisted the urge to scowl, barely.

_They _did_ get your shell out of that slave camp, _he reminded himself. _You've got your brother at your side, and he's kind of made friends with them already. Give these guys a chance at least._

"Is everything well?" Achaz asked, glancing between both turtles.

"My brother needs some rest," Leonardo said pointedly. "I know that all of us need to get together. We have a lot to talk about, but—"

"Leo, it ain't my first sleepless night, and it won't be the last," Raphael interrupted. "If you guys have anything to say about a possible plan to get to the others, I'd like to hear it."

The Ruairi looked over his shoulder at the two elohim. Raphael surveyed their silent interaction carefully. From Achaz's posture, he was clearly the dominating character. It was an extremely strange feeling to see the elohim being deferential to someone else. _All these aliens aren't the same, _he scolded himself. _No more than all the criminals on Earth speak for the entire human race. Obviously some of them have to be good, or they wouldn't be helping us._

"We do not have enough information to act upon yet," one of the elohim spoke up.

_Bahri, that was what Leo called him._

"We are in contact with our network of plants trying to discover more details of your brothers' whereabouts, in addition to the Ruairi hostage. There is a particular cell-block where most of the prisoners for the Matches are held, and we are working on getting a couple of our own inside," Bahri continued.

"Now when you say 'plants', are you talking like spies and stuff?" Raphael asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Bahri answered. "There are several of us who secretly stand in opposition to the Overlords' regime, but we are not strong enough to form a true resistance against them. So we have remained silent and played our individual roles…waiting for an opportunity."

"You keep your heads down and pretend like you're all onboard…and there's already a trust in place with the bad guys?" Raphael suggested.

"You have said it," Ghyath told him. "We will have to rely heavily on elohim who are in the right places in order to accomplish this task."

"But does that involve giving your own people away in the process?" Leonardo asked. "What about the way you came with Raphael and Ezra tonight? Is your disappearance going to cast suspicion on you?"

"I managed to get myself 'reassigned' by the same Commander who has provided a cover for Bahri," Ghyath explained. "As far as those Overlords know, I was gone the day before yesterday."

"Still, you guys are risking a lot to help us," Raphael pressed. "The question is why?" Silence met his query, and it wasn't a good sign to the turtle.

"We believe you are here for a reason," Bahri said at last. "Though none of us yet know why, it seems important. Worthy of the risks that we have to take."

Raphael gave his brother a quick look. "I guess I'll have to accept that," he said evenly. _For now anyway, _he added. _I wish we didn't have to rely on these guys so much. I hope they're on the level, because we could be totally screwed if they ain't._

* * *

><p>The blue-eyed turtle was leaning against a wall, staring up at the white ceiling overhead. He imagined if he watched the surface long enough the color might shift or change, the same way that the dim lights would sometimes brighten. He sighed achingly, but wasn't sure why. <em>How long have I been waiting? <em>The thought was nothing more than a passing question which escaped his mind seconds after he'd asked it.

As far as he knew, the ever-present ceiling was his only friend. Sometimes there were soothing voices, but they never stayed long, and he didn't understand what they were trying to tell him. He sensed that they wanted something from him, but it was impossible to figure out what. The only thing that registered about their presence was that he usually ended up feeling more tired after they were gone. The ceiling was enough; it was nearest he could come to focusing on something. He was comfortable in his companion's silence, and the way it didn't confuse him.

Weariness tugged on his mind, and he instantly relinquished to it. He felt his breath automatically deepening, but a minor note of pain distracted him from it. He couldn't determine the source of the irritation nor did he possess the energy to move, so he put up with it.

Faint images danced behind his closed eyes, all of them indistinct and fuzzy. There were shadows that appeared to be as tall as skyscrapers, and every so often they would spout trails of fire that lit up the twilight world. He didn't have the presence of mind to question the scene, which had become another constant in his life. He couldn't rest without the images plaguing his consciousness.

The turtle remained under the cover of darkness with the familiar sensation that he was neither awake _nor_ asleep. In moments like this his own body became almost non-existent. He desired nothing more than to be free of the heavy chains that were weighing him down to the ground.

A jarring motion on his shoulder succeeded in getting him to open his eyes again. The intrusion reminded him that he _had_ a body, and he was imprisoned inside of it. The overhead lights were brighter once more, making everything feel hazy and distorted.

The turtle felt pressure on his arms, something gripping them and lifting him off the cold, hard floor that was his home. My_ arms, _he realized. _Who's got…_Wherever the thought had been going, he'd already lost it.

The brief sense that he was ascending was nearly exhilarating, as he wondered how high he could fly. The understanding that he was _not_ magically floating above the floor came to him the instant he was dropped upon his plastron on a different surface. _Not the floor, _he managed. _Can I see the sky from here?_

His vision took in nothing except a sea of grey. The turtle closed his eyes with bitter regret, longing for his old home with the perfect ceiling view. The loss of the comfort he'd come to treasure was a hard blow.

The feeling of something probing his body was enough to make him turn his head. Through the heavy fog that filled the room he could make out the shape of another figure, but the creature's features were missing, as if the stranger didn't even _have_ a face. The turtle looked at him bleakly for a long moment, feeling empty and devoid. _Wanna go home…Home, where is home? Where am _I_?_

He rolled his neck away from the shadow, burying his face in the grey surface. He felt something touching him again, and tried to jerk away from the disturbance this time. Pressure descended on top of him, pinning him down firmly.

_I could fight…I could… _A long groan escaped as another wave of apathy washed over him before he could finish the thought. The sound reminded him of how dry his throat was, but he forgot about it a couple of seconds later.

The turtle blinked rapidly as someone turned him over, and the intensity of the light felt like it was boring through his skull. He wanted to shut his eyes. Being lost in the dark was better than being assaulted by the bright rays.

He _wanted_ to be left alone. He was dead tired of continually going in circles. How long had he been going in circles, aimless, hopeless, lost. There was no dead end to pound his head upon or blissful nothingness to take the place of confusion. He _wanted_ to sleep; it was the only thing that he really cared about. A sleep that refused to ever come.


	26. Faith

Virtus hissed softly under his breath as Kamryn finished wrapping his right shoulder.

"I'm trying to be careful," the young woman said, bitterness rising in her tone.

The turtle didn't take it personally; he knew she wasn't annoyed with _him_. It had been five days since his _non_-death Match, and not one had passed without him being violently singled out by another Overlord. _I almost wish they would just come up with a punishment and get it over with. Then maybe I wouldn't have someone waiting to jump me every day._

"It doesn't look too bad," Kamryn offered, once more in control of her voice. "The muscle didn't separate, so it could have been worse."

"Sure it could have, but how long is this going to last, Kamryn? I don't like the risk it's starting to pose to _you_ either. You can't try to step in like you did today, or they're going to end up turning on you too."

"Are you the only one who should suffer for doing the right thing, Virtus?"

"This isn't about suffering. It's about you, and the fact that you don't need to get hurt. They're _going_ to come after me – it's a given at this point. That doesn't mean you have to get caught in the crossfire. I know you're only trying to be a friend, but—"

"But what?" she demanded. "Can you imagine how long I've been silent, Virtus? How many times I've obeyed commands without question, because I wasn't brave enough to do what you have?"

"Take a beating?"

"Stand _up_ to them, Virtus. It doesn't happen often, not when so much is on the line. But you did it anyway."

"And I have yet to be finished paying for it." The turtle rotated his arm, trying not to grimace at the way his muscles protested. "I did what I had to, Kamryn. I won't regret it, even if they _do_ decide to kill me."

The young woman shook her head. "I don't see that happening now, but I cringe to think of what they may do instead."

"Please stop there," Virtus requested. "I think it's better not to know what _might_ be coming. It's bad enough not having any idea how much longer I may have to wait."

"I'm sorry, Virtus. I'm not trying to make this harder on you. My mouth ran away with me because I'm disgusted and tired."

"It's fine, Kamryn, really. There's got to be something else we could talk about, though. Isn't there anything nice about this world? There must be _some_ redeeming quality."

Kamryn settled into a cross-legged position against the wall and stared back at the turtle pensively. "I haven't known anything in my life except for captivity, cruelty, and loneliness, Virtus. I try not to complain about it openly, but there are others…I have met a couple of people who claim to have hope. Where their faith comes from, I'll never understand."

"Faith in what?"

"They cling to the name of El and believe there is some chance for deliverance."

He gave her a quizzical look, hoping that she would elaborate.

"El is…it's difficult for me to explain, because much of what I know is rumor or whispers spoken in the night. They say he is the creator of everything around us, not just of Zuhur or the elohim, but of the Earth too."

"Earth?" The word felt natural on his tongue.

"Yes – that is where the humans come from originally. You must have some familiarity with it too, the way you speak English."

Virtus shrugged. "I recognize the name. More than that, who can say? But what about this 'El' character?"

"Right – I _wa_s going somewhere. Some people believe that El didn't create all of these things and go his own way. They say he still sees everything, and that one day, he'll act in our defense."

"That's an interesting thought," he remarked. "Do they have a particular reason to believe _any _of it is true?"

"That is what they call faith, Virtus."

The turtle nodded. "Well, it's not a bad idea, that's for sure. If there _is _someone out there who has the power to help, I hope he would do it." He gazed at Kamryn for a few silent moments, noting how her expression had hardened. "Are you all right?"

"I understand their need for a hope to hold onto. Part of me wishes that I were naïve enough to cast my complete trust into some deity that may or may not exist, but I don't see it happening."

"You don't have a real opinion one way or another?"

"My opinion is that the Overlords are monsters to the core, and if some higher power is responsible for creating them, then I'm not sure I want anything to do with him."

"Yeah, maybe, but…" Virtus searched for words and was surprised when they suddenly came bubbling up. "I think you need to ask _why_ they're monsters. People aren't normally born like that, are they? Have you known any younger elohim that you could test the theory on?"

"It's not a theory, Virtus. They derive pleasure from the pain of others, and advance their own race to the detriment of everyone else. That's how I define a monster."

"I don't doubt that they're evil, Kamryn. I'm only questioning how much of it is their own doing."

"What do you mean?"

"Okay…um…let's say you had a daughter, for argument's sake. You raise her in your home and teach her all the right things. But when she gets older and starts making her own choices, they turn out to be the wrong ones. She doesn't mind hurting other people if it benefits herself, and does whatever it takes to get what she wants, even to the point of shedding blood. That would make her a monster in the eyes of other people too."

"A child who is brought up correctly wouldn't turn out that way, Virtus."

"You don't know that, Kamryn. That's the thing about being rational: we have minds of our own, and the ability to make choices, including wrong ones. You don't have to raise a monster in order for someone to become one. If this story about El is true, maybe it wasn't his intention for the elohim as a race either."

"Even if he didn't create them with evil intent, it doesn't change the way things _are_, Virtus. Either El is heedless of how much everyone is suffering _because_ of the works of his hands, or he doesn't exist at all. In that case we have nothing left to hope in except for the outside chance that an asteroid could kill us all."

The turtle gave her a half smile. "On that positive note, maybe we _are_ better off talking about what the Overlords are going to do with me."

"Oh, Virtus, I'm sorry. I have spoken very freely with you because I've never had anyone else to talk to. When everything has been bottled up for this long, I find it amazing that I've never burst wide open under the pressure."

"It doesn't bother me if you speak your mind," he replied. "You don't have to be scared of being honest with me, Kamryn. A few healthy discussions may help the time pass more quickly."

She gave him a faint smile. "I do envy the believers in a way, for being able to keep some view of the light in spite of the darkness that consumes us. They may only be fooling themselves, but at least they're doing something other than waiting for their day to die."

Virtus sat up further on his cot, ignoring the stabbing pain in his side. "I think as long as something hasn't happened, there's still some reason to have hope, Kamryn. Maybe it _is_ a waste of time, but when I'm lying here in the dark with nothing to keep me warm or memories to comfort me, I imagine being free. I dream of running and jumping with no limitations, and I feel this small stirring inside, telling me it's not over yet."

The turtle sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a couple of seconds. "It's not over yet," he repeated. "Not for you _or_ me. Maybe that's part of the faith these people have; a hope that the ending can be different than they fear, because it hasn't happened yet. I don't know, Kamryn. I'm just rambling now."

He saw tears welling up in her eyes right before she focused on the floor.

"I don't know either, Virtus. More and more it seems like I know nothing at all."

* * *

><p>Yasir admired the colorful image of the DNA strand being displayed on the monitor, reveling in the beauty of secrets that had yet to be discovered. He could recall many a scientist who grew frustrated when a break-through or experiment didn't pan out, but Yasir wasn't like them.<p>

_Some fools behave as if every wonder in the known universes should be instantly laid bare to them because they desire to seek it out. How easily they are disillusioned and broken when they are forced to wait! How many an impatient creature missed an advance or a once in a lifetime opportunity, simply because they could not be bothered to put in the time and effort required for such rewards?_

_The ability to harness the strengths of two different races and filter out the weaknesses has yet to be found. While the terrapins are amazing, even they do not fit that description. Their discovery marks the first time any of us have seen a successful hybrid of two creatures, but they are far from perfect._

_I always believed the first hurdle to cross would be creating the right hybrid, and then I could concentrate my effort on eliminating flaws. I do not know if studying the terrapins' DNA will enable us to learn how to create a healthy hybrid of our own, but they may hold the answer to what I considered the _second_ step. If I can manipulate their DNA strands and remove the unsightly and the flaws, I will be that much closer to achieving our eventual goal of perfection when our hybrid _is_ reality._

_Having three of the creatures to choose from will lend me more freedom with experiments. It may have been wiser to keep them to all closer to hand to begin with, but there were reasons for keeping them apart. With the introduction of the mind serum, however, the argument no longer stands. I have seen its effectiveness firsthand in both the young woman, and now the terrapin who tried to escape the Dome. _

_Perhaps I should go forward with calling the one back from the ground-breakers. The sooner that I have two of them side-by-side, I could begin to run parallel experiments—_

An electronic hail interrupted his musing, and Yasir rolled his eyes in annoyance. _Someone must always interfere. I am trying to advance an entire race, and they still expect me to tend to the every day drudgeries of our lives._

"_This is Yasir," _he answered, barely containing his irritation.

"_Hello, Doctor,"_ the Altus greeted him with an ominous tone. _"I am coming your direction. We have things to discuss."_

"_Yes, Altus." _

Yasir jumped to his feet, straightening his desk even though nothing had been out of place. Then he hurried to the door and waited at the open hatch for the Supreme Commander to arrive. He winced when he saw the elohim trailing along _behind_ Abeiron, who happened to be one of his least favorite people. Barak had a savage streak that put him off completely, but which the Altus enjoyed using for his advantage.

Yasir swallowed when he saw the anger in Abeiron's eyes. _"Altus."_ He rapidly performed a half bow, but didn't so much as acknowledge Barak. He stepped aside so that the Supreme Commander could enter the Lab first, and eyed the other elohim warily for his intrusion.

"_There are two matters we must discuss, the first of which is distressing," _Abeiron said with no further delay. _"The terrapin that was stationed with the ground-breakers disappeared last night."_

Yasir didn't react instantly, not understanding how it could be true. _"He disappeared?"_

"_Yes, Doctor. He is gone, along with the human who partnered with him these last weeks."_

"_How can they be _gone_, Altus? What about their energy binders?"_

"_They were removed. As of yet, they have found no trace of either of them."_

"_I will have their heads, every Overlord in that unit!" _Yasir exploded. _"I _need_ that terrapin! Is there a plan in place to find him?"_

"_Of course they are searching, Doctor, and the elohim over the 125th are being reviewed."_

"_Reviewed? They lost one of the most valuable finds that we have ever acquired! He must be recovered!"_

"_They never should have left this place," _Abeiron said sharply. _"If they are so valuable, all of them should have been locked up. As it is now, we have lost _half _of them."_

Yasir took a deep breath. _"I…I acknowledge that, Altus. But this makes the remaining two that are behind bars even more important."_

"_Coincidentally, one of those two is the other reason I needed to speak with you this morning, and why Barak has accompanied me. I have decided on a sentence for the terrapin warrior."_

Yasir took an even deeper breath.

"_He will be set for another Match, this one with Barak. And my champion will _not_ be lenient on the terrapin."_

Yasir glanced over at Barak, and back at Abeiron imploringly. _"I need him alive, Altus."_

"_He will _be_ alive, Doctor; but he will also suffer greatly, or Barak will not have completed his task."_

"_I mean not to disappoint our great Altus." _Barak's voice grated on Yasir's nerves. _"What I would like from you are his vulnerabilities."_

"_His what?"_

"_I want information on something I can exploit to drive home a tremendous impact. You know these terrapins from top to bottom. Give me a point to take advantage of, or I will simply rip him apart limb by limb," _Barak said coldly.

Yasir knew that the Overlord was not speaking an empty threat. He cast another glance at Abeiron, and the Supreme Commander nodded his agreement.

_If I am going to do this, I had better pick something I can readily repair._

"_If you want to make an impact on 626, then you should focus on his right knee," _Yasir offered.

"_His knee?" _Barak sounded doubtful.

"_From what I can determine it has undergone serious reconstruction. The repairs are clean – it is some of the best work I have seen coming out of Earth. But it remains vulnerable to being reinjured and the pain would be tremendous, if you attack it correctly."_

Barak's brow creased. _"You have given me something to think about, Doctor. I will consider this."_

Yasir sighed inwardly. _They sooner they get this over with, the better._


	27. Worried

The moment Leonardo woke up, he could only think of tracking down Achaz and Bahri. As he rolled onto the edge of his mattress, a wave of weariness attested to his body's state. _I could probably use a couple more hours of sleep, but I can't lie here anymore. I have to make sure the others are _doing_ something. This isn't one of those times when we can sit back and wait for something to happen._

Leonardo glanced at the hatch which connected the room to his brother's. _There's no sense in bothering Raph yet, not without a really good reason. _He'd allowed the Ruairi to place them in separate rooms, even though he shared his red-masked brother's feeling of not wanting to be out of his sight. _But he needs rest more than I do._

He punched the key combination at the door to the hall, and slipped through to the other side. The moment he stepped foot into the corridor, he was started to see Bahri already present. "Did you just get here, or have you been waiting for me?"

"I was waiting," the elohim admitted. "I did not want to bother you, but there are a couple of things we need to go over. If you would like to refresh first, I will have a meal delivered, and we can speak here."

Leonardo held eye contact with Bahri for a few seconds, trying to determine the alien's frame of mind. Bahri's generally somber nature made it difficult for the turtle to get an accurate read on him.

"All right," he agreed. "I'd prefer to let my brother sleep for now, if it's all the same to you."

"It is a hard thing to break through the mind barrier. For him to rest longer would be good. Go, Leonardo. I will have things prepared when you return."

The blue-masked turtle was surprised the first time the elohim explained the subterranean well beneath the surface of the mountain which inexplicably rejuvenated enough water for their consumption to survive in the wilderness. The rationing was still controlled to the point that "refreshing" was a very short process.

Leonardo felt more awake after a cold dousing, which was a by-product of a different kind of rationing. Generating heat required energy, and the solar cells the Ruairi subsisted on were easy to drain.

It was the same reason land cruisers were their typical mode of transportation, despite the fact that the Rebellion possessed a few flying crafts. The energy consumption of the air ships was at least four times greater than the cruisers which remained earth-bound. It was a careful balancing act for them to remain as independent as possible, while maintaining their cover from the Overlords.

What few raids _had_ been carried out successfully against the elohim focused chiefly on supplies and technology that the Ruairi couldn't reproduce. _They play things a lot more low key than Nizar made it sound; not that it's shocking. The Ruairi have a lot in common with these elohim who've defected. They're all just waiting for an opportunity to present itself, and biding their time until it does._

When Leonardo returned to his room, he found that Bahri had produced a small table from somewhere and set it with the mostly synthetic food the Ruairi lived on. He tried to avoid showing open distaste. _Food is fuel, _he reminded himself logically. _It doesn't have to taste good…but it would be nice if it did. _He took a seat wordlessly and waited for the elohim to speak.

"Did you sleep well?" Bahri asked.

"As well as I could. What's this about, Bahri? Don't beat around the bush."

"Your fourth brother, the blue-eyed one? I received a message about him from the network a couple of hours ago. He is being held in an underground laboratory in Arcadia, under the supervision of the Doctor himself."

"The who?"

"Yasir. You may recall him from reorientation. I do not know how much of the experience stays with you."

"I remember him," Leonardo said darkly. "What would he be doing with Michelangelo?"

"Studying him, most likely. You possess unusual DNA, and it must prove fascinating to Yasir."

"But what is he _doing_ to him?" he demanded. "What does studying involve?"

"I am told that he is fixated on breaking down DNA strands at the moment. Plans for experiments have yet to—"

"Experiments?" the turtle interrupted. "No. No, that's not happening."

"That is what I said, Leonardo. It has not happened, at least, not yet. My contact tells me your brother was captive in the Dome. That is where they hold many of those who are under long-term observation. Michelangelo attempted to escape the Dome, and might have succeeded if it were not for his energy binder.

"Since that time, he has been underground. Your brother went through reorientation a second time, but Yasir did not want to take any more chances with him. Michelangelo has been subdued with a mind serum as a mea—"

"Serum?" Leonardo's voice was tight. "Are you talking about drugs, Bahri? He could be _killing_ him! We've never tolerated conventional meds well, especially sedatives!"

Bahri raised both arms in a calming gesture. "Leonardo, Yasir is the most brilliant of our kind at manipulating DNA. He understands genetics. He would not give your brother a formula that could potentially harm him."

"Maybe not intentionally, but that doesn't mean something can't go wrong. Somehow, it always _does_."

"My deepest contact is a doctor too, Leonardo, a direct assistant to Yasir. He is often left in charge when the Doctor is not present. Michelangelo's life signs are strong, though my friend says his mind is deeply entrenched. _That_ was Yasir's intention."

Leonardo bowed over the table, leaning his forehead into his hands although he honestly felt like slamming it against a wall. "He'd better not hurt him, Bahri. If Mikey doesn't snap out of it, _none_ of you are going to like me very much. So this place is underground."

Bahri nodded soberly. "Security is at its strongest there. We have one of our own sentries inside already, and are working on infiltrating more. There are a couple of ways to address the various checkpoints, but that is where everything gets a little complicated."

He raised his head. "This is way more than a _little_ complicated, Bahri. It sounds like pulling off a _single_ raid inside Arcadia will ruin the only cover we have. How are we supposed to recover everyone in one fell swoop?"

The elohim shook his head. "We will not be able to do everything at once, Leonardo. We do not even know where your humans are currently, and your brothers are separated as well. You have to prepare yourself for rescues that happen in stages. There _will _be waiting involved."

Leonardo heaved a frustrated breath. "I don't think I can do that, Bahri, and Raph won't want anything to do with it either. If we work together with these plants of yours, there has to be a way to pull it off."

Bahri looked down at the table for a beat, then back up at him. "Do you understand that I am not in charge of this effort? I can gather information and speak to our network, but I do not decide when and how we move."

"Why, Bahri? Why do you allow the Ruairi to control your every move?"

"They do not control my _every_ move, Leonardo. But in this matter, I have no choice but to follow their lead. The Ruairi have access to numbers which we do not, and they have a grudge toward the Overlords that assures us of one thing: they will not stop. They will not be deterred. We have to cooperate with them if there is to be hope for victory."

"I gree that we need to cooperate," Leonardo returned. "But why do you let them have so much say in the matter?"

"Our small union of elohim 'traitors' are nothing apart from the Ruairi," Bahri answered. "We do not have the means to force a change in regime. We would be crushed underfoot. The Ruairi have access to more numbers than you have seen."

Leonardo pushed away from the table. "Well, I have no intention of waiting to move based on how _they're_ feeling."

"Leonardo, they are concerned for their elder. Every day that passes could be the hostage's last. My point was not that the Ruairi do not want to engage in a raid, but that it is not going to be possible to recover everyone in one trip."

Leo shook his head. "If we're in the right position, there's no telling what we could achieve. But that means going into the danger zone, not hanging out in the safety of the wilderness."

A bang on the opposite side of the hatch that connected to Raphael's room started Leonardo and made Bahri jerk. The blue-masked turtle immediately rose to open the door, and gave his brother a reproving look.

"What are you doing up, Raph?"

"Ain't anyone ever heard of door knobs on this stupid planet?" Raphael demanded. "Why does everything have to be so freakin' complicated?"

"It's the story of our life, Bro," Leo said quietly.

Raphael's eyes flicked over to Bahri and his expression changed in a flash. "What's going on?"

"They know where Mike is," Leonardo replied.

"Do they know how to _get _to him?"

"That part will be more difficult, but it will happen sooner than later if _I_ have anything to say about it." Leonardo forced confidence into his voice.

"Is he okay, Leo? What are they doing with him?"

Bahri cleared his throat. "Yasir reserved your brother Michelangelo for observation purposes. When the Dome failed to contain him—"

"Mike almost got away from the bastards," Leonardo couldn't help interjecting.

Raphael smirked. "I guess all the high-tech junk in the world doesn't mean as much when you're dealing with ninjas."

Bahri nodded. "Your brother broke the mind barrier rather quickly, and it gave Yasir reason for concern. He has Michelangelo in an underground bunker now, which also serves as the highest level of security for the Laboratories."

Leonardo noticed the elohim didn't mention what Yasir was doing to limit Michelangelo's mental capacity, and decided to keep his mouth shut too, for the moment. _I'm not going to throw any more gasoline onto the flames until Raph's close enough to burn something worthwhile._

"So what are we gonna do about it?" Raphael asked.

"I suppose that's a question we should direct to Achaz, isn't it?" Leonardo suggested.

"If you would wait but a moment—" Bahri started.

"We can find him ourselves if you aren't interested in pushing him, Bahri," Leo said bluntly.

The elohim rose to his full height, the first hint of real emotion entering his eyes. "Now listen to _me_, terrapin. I will give you considerable lee-way under the circumstances, but I will not tolerate being disrespected. Perhaps you do not think highly of my status in regard to the Ruairi, but I have not _earned_ the right as a full partner in their eyes yet. That means that I can advise, but I do not make decisions.

"I was not going to discourage you from speaking to Achaz; rather, I wanted to make certain the two of you are attending to your _own_ needs, in addition to planning on going to war as soon as possible. You, Raphael, have not had enough rest, and you, Leonardo, have not eaten well in days. Of what use will you be to anyone else when you do not meet the requirements of your own flesh?

The blue-masked released the breath he'd been holding. "I'm sorry, Bahri. I understand how awful that must have sounded, but it's not…intentional. We're worried sick about our family, and when we get protective, we also become more aggressive. I know you're only trying to help."

"That is the truth," the elohim replied. "As it is, I am certain Achaz wants to call a counsel, and is only waiting for the two of you to be ready."

"Would you ask him for a couple more hours?" Leonardo requested.

"That sounds reasonable. In the meantime, both of you need to eat. I am going to find Achaz to deliver your message. Please come and sit down, Raphael." Bahri motioned to the empty chair. "I will send word if anything changes."

Once the elohim had gone, Raphael cast an unimpressed glance at the food. Leonardo didn't blame him. He suspected that the cream-style concoctions were only brightly colored to make them seem more appetizing.

"It's just fuel," Leo offered. "Their food may not be real, but it possesses the vitamins and minerals to sustain life."

"Yeah, well…a guy needs a little protein in his life from time to time too," Raphael complained.

"Or a _lot_ in your case." Leonardo was surprised when a chuckle came up. "I suppose there really _is_ no place like home."


	28. Tornado

_He was backed into a corner and helpless to escape from the tornado. The storm had been spinning across the room for so long, the turtle couldn't understand why things hadn't been torn completely apart. The walls were intact, but the _wind_, the overpowering wind was taking his breath away._

_He flattened into a corner as the tornado bore down upon him, covering his head with his arms protectively. The sound surrounded him until he was certain _he_ was going to be destroyed. The force finally climaxed to a pinnacle that would certainly cause the ceiling to collapse. _

_Without warning the sound ceased, and the winds nearly went still. When the turtle removed his arms from his head, he realized the dark funnel was disintegrating before his eyes, and the lithe form of a woman was twirling in its wake._

_Emotion surged as he watched her, mesmerized by the way bronze hair flew around her head while she turned. It was creating a hypnotic effect, and what's more, the woman seemed to be _enjoying_ it._

_The green-eyed goddess danced just out of his reach while he remained trapped in his corner, immobilized by a force that he didn't understand. The smile that traced her face was teasing at first, but when his predicament became clear she slowed, sashaying over to him._

_One touch from her hand where her fingers rested on his shoulder was like bolt of electricity that raced through his entire body. She wrapped her other arm around his neck, leaning forward until her forehead was almost touching his. In an instant the turtle knew that whether she was a raging tempest or a gentle breeze, he was going to be helpless before her._

_"I can't always make things easy on you, Tortuga," she told him._

_"Why not?" he murmured._

_The woman didn't answer him, though a smile still played on her lips. Yet there was also a sadness there which he hadn't noticed before, and it made his heart ache. She kissed him and he was alive, the momentary vision of bittersweetness removed from his mind._

_After a few moments she pulled away from him suddenly and he reached after her, catching the young woman's hand. She gave him a sly smile as she grasped his fingers in return, drawing his hand up over her head in invitation._

_"You never dance with me, Tortuga," she complained._

_"That's 'cause I don't know how to dance your way, Chica. Besides, it's more fun to watch you."_

_"But there is no intimacy in _watching_. It isn't about knowing the steps; those would only get in the way."_

_"I thought that dancing was all _about_ the steps."_

_"No. Real dancing is the epitome of freedom; and when it involves two people, closeness. Many participants can master the art of dancing together, but only those who capture the heart of their partner will ever dance as one."_

_"I'd just drag you down, Kari," he insisted. "Why would you wanna wrangle my heavy shell all over the room? Seeing you happy is enough. It's the only thing I want."_

_The bronze-haired woman ceased pulling his arm, letting it fall lightly to his side. "I _am_ happy with you, Tortuga."_

_The turtle cupped her chin in his palm and gathered her into an embrace with his free arm. _God help me, I'm gonna keep her happy if it kills me.

* * *

><p>Raphael startled himself awake with a snort, opening his eyes to a strange room. <em>My room, <em>he remembered bleakly. When Leonardo relegated him back to his quarters to get some more rest, the red-masked turtle assumed that he wouldn't be _able_ to sleep. _Guess I was more bored than I thought._

The fading image of his wife dwelled in his consciousness. The dream wasn't real – that is, it wasn't an actual memory of events, but a figment of his mixed-up imagination. _But_ _how many times has Kari tried to get me to dance with her? Being the shell-head that I am, I never even let her try to lead me around for a change. Too afraid I'd look ridiculous and ruin whatever romantic moment she was picturing._

_How stupid can I be? She just wanted to be close to me. If I get home, _when_ I do, _he corrected_, I'm gonna give her that chance._

Raphael sat up on the side of his bed imagining the curves of Karina's face and the smug expressions she usually reserved only for him. _Ha. Kari always told me that I drag it out of her, but she's not fooling anyone. She's always been a fireball underneath the calm exterior. Or a tornado in this case._

The smile the thought produced was short-lived. _Shell, Karina, I miss you. I'd do anything to get back to you and Liv. All I wanna do is grab both of you and never let go again. _He closed his eyes briefly. _But we gotta get the others back too. Karina would kill me if I came traipsing home without her brother, and if I survived one attack, her sister Kat would finish me off. Not that we'd ever consider leaving someone behind. _

Concern for his human friends in imminent danger flooded his mind and he had to swallow to control a shudder. _They have to be okay. They're all tough in their own ways, but Brandon…_The man's "brush" with the Akiudo from the year before left the human physically and mentally scarred.

While the worst of the trauma induced by Brandon's kidnapping and subsequent torture had faded, the man described it as an undercurrent that often threatened in the back of his mind. The episodes of terror and his avoidance of certain situations had diminished, but the Post Traumatic Stress was something the man would live with for the rest of his life.

_I hope he's doing okay, _Raphael thought fleetingly. _If we had Donny and we were _home_, this wouldn't be as hard. _The tracking devices Donatello had devised early on for their watches and cell phones had transitioned into physical implants that couldn't be so easily lost or misplaced in the heat of battle or assault. _Those beacons have saved our shells a few times, and we could sure use 'em now. I'd feel better if we had the brainiac here to help plan this next move, whatever it's gonna be._

With the completion of the thought the red-masked turtle got to his feet and strode across the room. He glared at the electronic panel which controlled the hatch leading to the hallway as if could bite him, and tried to recall the combination Leonardo had shown him three times.

For some reason all of the numbers were running together in his mind. He tried four different configurations of the pattern he _thought_ he knew before getting frustrated and pounding on the door again.

Out of nowhere, a voice greeted him from the ceiling. "Terrapin, what are you doing?"

_Oh. Intercom_. Raphael mashed the call button on his side. "Open sesame!"

"Is there something you require?" the confused speaker asked.

"Yeah! Open the dang door!"

A golden-eyed Ghyath met him on the other side, gazing at him as if the turtle had lost his mind.

"I don't _get_ your stupid key codes, all right? I'm new at this – you gotta let me take it slow," he said defensively.

"That is well, Raphael. However, you should consider calling for help using the intercom if you need it. I guarantee you will not break the door down with your fist."

_You never know if I get angry enough…_"I was only trying to get someone's attention. Is my brother around?"

"He will be shortly. He was finishing with Achaz—"

"You mean with the counsel? What'd they do, go ahead and have it without me? That figures. I 'spose I'm just along for the ride after all."

Ghyath shook his head. "You speak so quickly that it is hard to keep up, terrapin."

"Then maybe you're starting to understand how _I_ feel," he said pointedly. "So what decisions did they make without me? Let's hear them."

"They did not _have_ a counsel per say, Raphael. Achaz already made up his mind to move as soon they were certain we were not pursued by the Overlords, and we received a little more information from the network."

The red-masked turtle immediately brightened. "You mean we're getting to work on a rescue op?"

"We are closer to it, Raphael. We still require more information and the appropriate conditions in which to act."

"Why do I get the feeling you guys are gonna make this out to be a lot harder than it needs to be?"

The elohim looked at him sternly. "What do you know for certain about Arcadia, terrapin?"

"Nothing," he replied. "But I know how to kick a bunch of aliens' tails into next year. Get me to the Overlords, and I'll make them wish they'd never laid eyes on us."

Ghyath's expression softened. "As much as I would love to watch, secrecy is a powerful weapon, Raphael."

"That's how it always is," the turtle muttered. "We never get that kind of straight up enjoyment."

"What is the point of enjoying something if you cannot survive it?" the elohim asked rationally.

"I don't mean it the way it sounds," he explained. _All least not completely, _Raphael added inwardly. "I'm just thinking out loud, Ghyath. I do that. Hang around me long enough and there's no telling what might fly outta my mouth."

"I can see the possible danger that exists. Ezra tells me you are quite angry with him."

"You wanna do me a huge favor and leave him out of this, Ghyath? I don't have to be friends with everybody, especially people I don't trust."

"Ezra did not betray you, Raphael."

"You call it whatever you want. Fact is he knew things, important things, and he kept them from me. What kinda friend does something like that? He never gave me any real answers, even when I offered him the chance. I've been in the dark _too_ long over these last few weeks to put up with it anymore," he finished emphatically.

The sound of footsteps approaching made Raphael turn his head, and he exhaled when he saw his older brother "When are we going?"

"Soon – their packing is well under way," Leo answered. "I don't want you to get too excited, Raph, because we're not going to be busting any heads yet."

"Ghyath already told me. What _are_ we doing?"

"Something reckless and risky that might end up paying off big time or result in all of us being killed or captured."

"That's every day stuff for us, Leo. You gotta be more specific."

"We're going to infiltrate Arcadia," his brother replied. "Get ourselves inside the city so that when all of the pieces are in place, we can act without delay."

"What pieces, Leo?"

"This is going to be a team effort, Raph, and that means gaining assistance on several fronts. I don't know all the details, and for once, I'm just going to have to deal with that."

"But _when_ are we leaving?" he asked impatiently.

Leonardo gave him a wry smile. "When everyone is ready. We're moving faster than I thought things would, Raph. Let's be grateful for that, and have patience a little bit longer."

Ghyath gave the turtles a short bow with his head, a sign of deference among the aliens that appeared to startle Leonardo as much as it did Raphael. "I am going to assist in the preparations, terrapins."

"Are you and Bahri coming with us then?" Raphael asked before he could leave.

"Along with a few Ruairi and Ezra," Ghyath returned.

The red-masked turtle made a face. "What's he gotta come along for?"

"You should give him another chance, Raphael. The man never meant to hurt you, and I think he deserves the chance to prove it."

"Lemme know when he figures out a way, and I'll reconsider my position," he said sarcastically. "Until then, he doesn't exist."

Ghyath didn't have a response for that. "I will catch up with both of you later."

Raphael turned to focus on Leonardo as the elohim left. "So you had a meeting with Achaz?"

"A short one. Don't look at me like that, Raph; he came to _me_. I was all set to speak my piece for a rapid rescue, and _he_ wanted to say is that we'd be moving as soon as feasible. Did you get enough sleep?"

"I don't know, Bro. All kinds of things are stirred up in my head and it makes it hard to shut down."

Leo nodded sympathetically. "I've had some weird dreams too. It's as if our minds are still processing memories while we're resting and trying to recover from the ordeal."

"Well, I'll take a dream over this place any day."


	29. Stow Aways

Raphael felt like butterflies were rioting in his stomach as they waited in the back of the land cruiser. _It's the same story, no matter where we go. We just weren't made to blend in, _he thought ruefully. _Even when we don't have to worry about the entire Earth finding out about us, we _still_ can't let the bad guys see us or we're screwed._

The red-masked turtle was dreading what he knew could be a long drawn-out process of surveillance before they were able to recover anyone. He felt his brother's gaze and glanced over at him.

"Are you calm?" Leonardo asked.

"You know me, Leo."

The blue-masked turtle snorted. "That's why I have to ask. I know the situation isn't ideal, but at least we're doing something, right? We have to be in position before we can act, and we're getting there."

Raphael nodded mutely, unwilling to speak openly in front of the ears listening around them. _I guess they might mean well, but we don't know what these aliens are capable of. I can't help wishing that Leo and I could handle things on our own. I know I'd feel better about all of this if my bro was at the helm where he should be._

_There's been all this talk about finding Donny and Mike, but these aliens aren't thinking about our friends – I know they're not. It's probably gonna come down to me and Leo taking things into our hands after all. Or course, that'll be easier to accomplish once we've got Don and Mikey too. _Even the thought of recovering his younger brothers made his heart beat faster. Any risk was worth taking if it meant a chance of getting them back.

Movement caught Raphael's attention, and he saw Bahri reaching for his crystal. The elohim gazed at the stone for a few seconds and then released the device.

"Our ride is almost here," Bahri announced.

"So we're leaving these cruisers behind?" Leonardo verified.

"We are going to need something more secure to infiltrate Arcadia," Bahri replied. "Ghyath and I may not stand in danger of suspicion yet, but the challenge of hiding the rest of you requires a special vehicle, which was prepared for circumstances like these."

The red-masked turtle shook his head. "How long have you guys been scheming behind the Overlords' backs?"

Bahri shrugged as he met his gaze. "Longer than any of us have wanted to, Raphael. This is a tremendous step we are about to take. Outright dissension could not be risked in the past—"

"But you can risk it now?" Raphael questioned. _None of you have explained why you're so interested in helping us. It doesn't make a lot of sense. Nobody's gonna take the plunge they've avoided for this long just based on some "feeling." There's more going on here than they wanna tell us. Seeing as how they're gonna help us get to the others, though, I don't feel like pushing my luck right now._

"It is all about the timing, terrapin," Bahri replied vaguely, and rose to open the hatch.

Raphael rose to follow him without waiting to see what anyone else would do. When he peered outside he saw another craft approaching, and did a double-take of the sunlight glinting off the reflective silver surface of the large cruiser. _Nah, that won't draw attention or anything. Do they even know what being undercover _means_? _He caught Bahri looking at him, and the elohim nodded toward the cruiser.

"There is more to this craft than meets the eye, Raphael."

"There's _more_?" the turtle wondered. "It doesn't look like something you can hide."

Bahri gave him a rare smile. "The point is not to hide the ship – it is to hide _you_, is it not? Just wait until you have a look for yourself."

"Okay. I won't judge." _Much. _The size of the cruiser alone was disconcerting, but the turtle resolved to give it a chance before he made up his mind.

Raphael realized that a line was backing up behind him and quickly got out of everyone else's way so they could exit their cruiser. Leonardo came up on his right side as the new craft came to a stop a couple of yards short of them, and Raphael searched for his brother's reaction. The blue-masked turtle's tactical wheels looked like they were spinning, but Leonardo didn't object yet.

Before either of them moved, someone exited from the front of the monstrosity and immediately approached Bahri. When a few unintelligible words had been exchanged between the elohim, Raphael saw Bahri stiffen.

"Ghyath, will you show everyone inside? I will be around in a minute," Bahri called.

Raphael was more distracted by what they could be discussing than with seeing the craft, but he obediently followed his older brother along with the rest of the "stow-aways". When he looked over his shoulder he spied six of the Ruairi and Ezra at the very back of the group. Raphael didn't waste more than a glance on the man, choosing to turn his attention forward instead.

The interior of the land cruiser was elaborate and luxurious, reminding the turtle more of a limousine than a strategic vehicle. "What are you thinking, Fearless?" he murmured.

"I suppose there could be some merit to hiding in plain sight," Leonardo started. "The Overlords won't be expecting us to come straight into Arcadia, especially rolling up in this thing. Or hovering, I should say. I'm sure there's still more to this craft than we're _seeing_."

"You are correct," Ghyath asserted. "This ship was originally designed to engage both land and air. It is now limited to earth only, but the loss of flight capability grants other advantages. Come – I will show you."

The elohim ran his hand over the sidewall, until settling on what appeared to be a seamless portion of the metal overlay. With a sweep of his hand a display came into view, and after a flourish of his fingers, an over-sized panel opened directly over their heads.

"Follow me," the alien said simply.

Ghyath used long arms to hoist himself through the opening, and Raphael motioned for his brother to go first. Once the blue-masked turtle was up Raphael braced himself on both sides of the hatch and climbed through behind him. The first surprise was the sheer amount of _space_ they had to move. He was still gazing around and taking things in when he heard another voice speak up.

"You removed _all _of the workings from the bulkhead?" Achaz asked.

"Yes," Ghyath replied. "The craft continues to carry on the illusion of being a lavish transport, but the engine and energy cell capacity has been re-routed, and therefore diminished. That does not make it ideal for an escape, but as far as camouflage, it is the best design we have available."

Leonardo nodded. "From that perspective, it's perfect for what we need to accomplish. All of us will be hiding up here I take it."

"That is the idea," Ghyath affirmed. "You can make yourselves comfortable if you wish. The border of Arcadia lies only about thirty minutes from this point."

Raphael took a seat on a cushioned bench that sat low to the "ground", and his brother sat down beside him. "Well, it ain't the Battleshell, but I guess it'll do for starters."

Leonardo shook his head, but Raphael noticed that the blue-masked turtle was watching the entrance hatch like a hawk. "You waiting for someone, Bro?"

"I'm hoping that Bahri will join us up here. I want to know what he and the other elohim were talking about."

"You and me both, Leo. To tell you the truth, I'm getting sick and tired of not being able to understand these jokers," he said quietly. Raphael closed his mouth when he saw Achaz coming their direction.

The Ruairi settled onto another short bench, crossing lanky legs beneath his frame. "This process may prove a little maddening, terrapins, but I promise we will not take any longer than necessary. I want to find our elder just as much as you wish to save _your_ loved ones. We will do whatever it takes."

"Would you be going after your guy if we weren't onboard for this too?" Raphael asked bluntly.

Achaz nodded gravely. "It was bad enough to lose an entire team to death. We will not abandon one of our own to the Anunnaki, not while he still draws breath."

The alien's loyalty resonated strongly with Raphael, and Achaz instantly rose a little in his estimation. "We feel the same way," he told him. "That goes for _all _of our people; not just our brothers."

"I understand completely," Achaz said soothingly. "We will do everything possible to find them."

"We won't be satisfied until we get them back," Leonardo added. "With or without your help, we're going to get it done."

"We are a team, Leonardo," Achaz assured him. "We will be able to accomplish more things together than we can separately."

"I agree," the blue-masked turtle said. "I'm only saying that Raphael and I will move alone if we have to."

"I know that you find it difficult to trust us, Leonardo, but I hope that this first effort will prove something to you."

_We'll see_, Raphael thought, some skepticism clinging. _It's so hard to tell who's actually on the level. _He was more shaken by the betrayal of Ezra than he'd admit out loud. _I mean, it'd be one thing if Ezra hadn't been all nice and welcoming to me. He got me thinking I could trust anything he said or did. I really don't get why he has to be here._

The sight of Bahri climbing into the bulkhead ended their conversation with Achaz. Leonardo started to rise, but the elohim waved him back down.

"We have word on Donatello," he said stoically. "He is scheduled for a Match this very evening."

"Do we know where?" Leonardo asked swiftly.

"Yes, it is set for the Coliseum."

"The Coliseum?" Achaz repeated. "Then this is going to be _serious_."

"If we know where he's gonna be, isn't there some way that we could get him away from the Overlords?" Raphael demanded.

Bahri's raised eyebrows answered the question without words, but he plunged forward anyway. "There are _far _too many enemies to steal Donatello out of a situation like that. If we were able to isolate his transport we might be able to take him, but it is easier said than done. We are not prepared to do battle with the Overlords, not in the middle of Arcadia. It would be suicide."

The comment spurred a laugh from both turtles.

"Guess we're closer to home than we thought, Fearless," Raphael cracked.

The elohim's confused expression was priceless, and it made the red-masked turtle snicker louder.

"I believe our hope lies in secrecy rather than attacking them directly," Bahri said cautiously.

"So do we," Leo told him. "But these types of strikes have a difficult time remaining hidden, which translates more toward suicide than you're going to be comfortable with."

"I am not _comfortable_ with any of this," Bahri acknowledged. "But if there was ever a time to act, it is now."

"What about this Match?" Raphael piped up. "Are you sure there's nothing we can do?"

"There is not time to gather proper Intelligence," Bahri returned. "Rescuing your brother from the ring is _not_ going to be possible."

"But the Match _could_ afford the opportunity to see him," Achaz suggested.

Bahri said something to the Ruairi in their infernal language, and the red-masked turtle slammed his fist against the seatback. "If you guys don't quit that I'm gonna pummel you - I swear to God! What are you saying?"

"It would be challenging to get a glimpse of your brother inside the building-" Bahri started weakly.

"But it is not _impossible_," Achaz countered. "You are familiar with the structure, Bahri. Surely there are ways to infiltrate this arena of entertainment," he said disgustedly.

"Of course there are, but I cannot see a good reason to risk the danger involved. We could be discovered, and for what? So we can watch a mock battle?"

Raphael glanced at Leonardo for his thoughts, and his brother's face looked thoughtful.

"Maybe it's just me, but I'd be willing to risk it for the chance to see my brother," Leo said.

Bahri gave the blue-masked turtle a pained look. "I am not unwilling, Leonardo. If you want to go, then I know a couple of things we could try."

"What are we still waiting for?" Raphael interjected.

Bahri nodded reluctantly. "All right. I will speak to the pilot, and we will leave shortly. Once we start moving, make certain you stay inside the bulkhead."

The elohim made a graceful exit and Raphael felt a tremor course over him. _I can't believe we might get this close to Donny and not be able to do anything for him. But seeing him with our own eyes has gotta be better than nothing._

"This is happening faster than I anticipated," Achaz said softly. "But that does not make it a bad thing. As it is, we already know where one of your brothers and our elder are being held. If we can learn where the Overlords are holding Donatello, we will be even closer."

"You heard about your hostage?" Leonardo's brow creased. "No one mentioned that."

"It is more of an educated guess on Bahri's part," Achaz replied. "The underground bunker is the most secure place in Arcadia. A prisoner of our elder's nature is probably there too."

"Why would they house their laboratories and their prisoners in the same bunker?" Leonardo asked. "Is it because they all end _up_ as experiments?"

"No, Leonardo, the laboratories were there first; the facilities is more important to the Anunnaki than any prisoner," Achaz explained. "The secrets of their DNA research are more valuable to them than anything else in Arcadia. They guard their knowledge much more closely than their captives. They will not even teach it willingly to their own kind."

Raphael cocked his head. "Talk about your paranoia. They don't trust each other?"

"Not when it comes to DNA," Achaz responded. "Advancing their race and chasing perfection are the only reasons that the elohim exist."

"That and eventually taking over Earth," Leonardo said darkly.

"_What_?" Raphael's head jerked around to face his brother.

"That's their end goal, according to Bahri," Leonardo admitted. "They never intended to stay on Zuhur forever."

"These jokers are planning to take on Earth, Leo? Bro, we gotta do something! This can't happen!"

"I know, Raph. I'm adding it to our 'to do' list."


	30. Assault

Leonardo felt his pulse-rate increasing along with the commotion of the crowd in the stands of the Coliseum below. It had been an interesting climb to get to the pinnacle of the arena without the use of the "transporter" as Bahri called it, but the elohim succeeded in leading them to an unseen vantage point. Their view of the arena floor was partially obstructed by the metal grating and ceiling mounts, but it was more important to remain hidden than to be able to see everything as it unfolded.

While they waited for the appearance of Donatello and the other contender, Leonardo noticed Bahri behaving erratically, pacing across the floor with obvious anxiety. _I don't know if Bahri isn't used to the stress of this kind of operation or if he could be upset over something else. This doesn't feel right._

The blue-masked turtle was about to rise to meet the elohim when Ezra suddenly beat him to the punch. The Irishman exclaimed something that sounded like a curse before stringing together sharp words toward Bahri. The elohim shook his head sharply, and his reply to the man was _definitely_ defensive.

Just when it sounded like their voices might get too loud, Achaz inserted himself between the two of them. The authority of the Ruairi's tone cut through the others, though the alien maintained such a calm demeanor it was startling to see.

"What's going on?" Leonardo demanded. "Stop talking among yourselves like we're not here."

"We should not have come. We should not be here!" Bahri insisted.

"We are _already_ in position," Achaz argued. "To move now would risk drawing attention to ourselves. This place is crawling with enemies. We cannot afford to panic."

"Why would we panic?" Raphael asked. "Why shouldn't we be here?"

"They're going to hurt your brother!" Ezra blurted out before the aliens could answer. "This isn't a normal Match; he is being set up for serious injury!"

"Wait a second – _who's_ going to hurt Don? How do you know this isn't a normal Match?" Leonardo scanned between all three figures.

"Tell them!" Ezra commanded, turning a glare on the elohim. "Tell them _everything_!"

"I did not _know_ that this was the way of it, or I would not have brought them here!" Bahri returned. "My source told me only that the terrapin was going to be in a Match!"

"_Hold it!_" Leonardo ordered. "Back up and tell us exactly what's going on. Bahri?"

The blue-eyed elohim stared down through the grating at their feet. "What Ezra says is true – this is no ordinary battle. I knew that could not be the case the moment I saw the medical unit below."

"What does that indicate?" Leo asked crisply.

"It means the intention of the Match has already been determined. The fights are never fixed, except for the category regarding punishment. There has been some defiance or disobedience on your brother's part, and he has been targeted in response," Bahri said slowly.

"What are they gonna do with him?" Raphael's tone was dark.

"I do not know for certain, Raphael, but you will not want to _see_ it in any case. We need to get down from here to a safer distance."

"We don't turn our backs on our family!" Leonardo had a difficult time controlling _his _volume.

"That is _not_ what I am suggesting, Leonardo," Bahri stated. "But you cannot stop what is about to happen, not without revealing yourselves and ruining any chance you have to _recover_ your family."

"You cannot force them to leave, Bahri; it is not your decision!" Achaz shot back.

"You will not determine whether they stay or leave either, Achaz," Bahri spoke up against the Ruairi for a change.

"Do you have the faintest idea of what these turtles are capable of?" Ezra interjected. "If we set the fireworks off early, the entire operation will be in jeopardy. He is their _brother_. How can you expect them to sit idly by?"

"No one said they had to watch," Achaz said coolly.

"Everybody shut up!" Raphael hissed urgently. "I see 'im, I see Donny."

Leonardo wedged in-between his brother and a beam, pressing his face against the criss-crossed material of the grating so hard it felt like it was leaving imprints. He swallowed as he laid eyes on Donatello standing on the arena floor with a smaller figure at his side. "Who's with him? It looks like a human."

"A trainer most likely," Bahri said softly, extending a hand-held screen toward him. "You can take a closer look with this, but I am urging for all of us to depart before the Match starts. You will not want to witness this."

The blue-masked turtle looked down at the live image being broadcast over the device, drawn to the unusual green eyes of the young woman. She only occupied him for a couple of seconds before he focused on his brother. It was a relief to see Donatello in one piece, but the younger turtle didn't _look_ right.

When Donny started moving Leo could tell that his gait was off; his brother was walking ponderously as if he was dragging a ball and chain along behind him. He didn't realize that Raphael was watching over his shoulder until the red-masked turtle spoke.

"Is he hurt, Fearless? Why's he moving like that?"

"The fight is _fixed_, Raphael," Ezra pointed out. "His energy has probably been drained through his binder. The elohim don't want him to be able to defend himself."

Leonardo hurriedly gave the device back to Bahri, a decision cast in a split-second. "Let's move, _now_."

"And go where, Leo? What are supposed to do?!" Raphael thundered.

"Raph, I _won't_ stand by while he loses a fixed fight that I can't stop! We need to get out of here, quickly."

* * *

><p>Virtus closed his eyes and then blinked several times, fighting with the effect of the double vision which had been plaguing him for the last hour. It started around the same time the exhaustion began creeping up on him, and Kamryn instantly identified what was going on with his energy binder. The turtle was irritated, but not exactly surprised by the turn of events. <em>There's no way one of them would risk losing a fight against me on a platform like this one. It's almost a compliment. I'll try to remember that if I survive this Match.<em>

The noise of the crowd pulsated like a drum beat inside his head that wouldn't quit. The turtle felt fingers grasp his arm and turned toward Kamryn. She was saying something he couldn't make out over the commotion in his skull.

The young woman leaned in closer. "You'll make it, Virtus. They don't want to kill you; the medics are already on the scene. You told me that this wasn't over yet."

"It's not," he returned. He felt like he'd bellowed the words, but they were barely louder than a whisper. "You don't have to watch this, Kamryn."

"I'm not leaving you alone with that _monster_." Her voice broke with the words.

"Kamryn, it's going to be okay, remember that. I'll see you on the other side."

She still grasped his arm, unwilling to let go. "You're so much better than any of them. Barak would fear to fight you if he weren't _CHEATING!_" Kamryn shouted the last word, but it was lost in the chaos of the arena.

Virtus sensed someone over his shoulder, and a moment later Kamryn was physically pulled away from his side. The turtle stood still, resolved not to take another step. _This isn't a real Match, and I won't pretend like it is. Let the brute come to me._

The drum beat in his head throbbed louder at the appearance of his opponent, a seven-foot tall Overlord with longish blond hair and dark eyes that were a stark contrast to the accepted norm among the elohim. The sounding of the tone that was meant to start the "Match" made his heart beat so furiously it hurt the inside of his chest.

Virtus eyed the elohim silently while the alien circled him, flexing arms that appeared to be as thick as tree trunks.

"Are you going to play with me, terrapin?"

"No," the turtle returned. "This isn't a fair fight; you made sure it wouldn't be."

"You _could_ still try and give the crowd something to get excited over."

"They came to watch you massacre me. I think you know how to please them on your own."

"I do," Barak said coldly. "But the purpose of this exercise is not to amuse _them_. It is for you to learn who is Master."

"I'd be more convinced of how tough you are if you weren't using the energy binder against me."

A flying backhand barely registered in his vision before it slammed across his jaw with all the force of a baseball bat. The turtle was already off balance when the blow spun him around and he instantly hit the ground.

"Come on, terrapin. I know you have a _little_ fight in you," the Overlord egged him on to rise.

Virtus was tempted to stay exactly where he was, but pride won out over weariness. His legs trembled when he forced them to bear his weight, but he wasn't going down over _one_ hit. His arms came up defensively as the elohim circled him again.

"That is more like it, terrapin. Let us find out how long you can stay with me."

The turtle tried hard to focus on the alien's meaty fists and not to be distracted by the way his sight was distorting. He managed to catch one of his attacker's strikes with his forearm, but Barak's other hand crossed over his body to whip his head backwards a second time. Virtus knew his legs were giving out, but his opponent caught him around the shell in what almost felt like a friendly grasp.

"It is important for you to realize that there is no room for dissent, terrapin, and no space for a second grievance." Barak's knee snapped like lightning, bearing into his plastron so hard that it took his breath away in spite of the protective plates.

The elohim gripped him by the back of the throat, picking him off the ground so that he dangled above the dust like a mother cat might lift her babies. "The Overlords are not merely your captors and superiors. They control everything about you, terrapin, from the time that you sleep to the food that you eat, and when you will be required to fight. Resist and you will be annihilated. Your mortal flesh will be nothing but fodder for the gods to feast on."

Virtus tried hard to glare at him. "You can lock me up and starve me. You can throw me in a ring, and even beat me up with the help of some weird device. But you _don't_ control me, and that will never change!"

"Your life will be as difficult as you choose for it to be, terrapin."

"Aren't you supposed to be scaring me into submission right now? Because once again, it'd be more convincing if you weren't cheating."

With a massive cry the alien _threw_ him over his shoulder like he weighed nothing at all, and the air rushed past the turtle until he collided with the iron bars that surrounded the stands. Virtus stared up at the spot lights filtering down on him in a daze, and the drums inside his head went silent for a few beats.

His relief was short-lived as a shadow fell over him, blocking out the overhead lights. Barak grabbed him by the right leg and dragged him several feet through the dust back to the center of the ring,

"You can choose your own life or death, terrapin. If this warning does not sink through your thick skull, then I suppose nothing will." The elohim wrapped a hand completely around his throat, drawing him off the ground again as if placing the turtle on display.

Virtus knew the alien was escalating, and tried to brace himself for what could happen next. He was beginning to wish that Barak would just finish him and get the Match over with. Coal-black irises held his gaze disdainfully.

"You will not forget meeting me, terrapin; I guarantee it."

To punctuate his phrase Barak cast him over his shoulder a second time, hurling him to the ground on his shell. Virtus flinched when he saw the Overlord's leg coming toward him, but he was completely unprepared for the elohim to bear down directly on his knee.

The explosion of pain that erupted following the strange pop of his limb and the accompanying cry that erupted made the turtle feel like he was having an out of body experience, listening to someone _else_ yell.

The arena lights were a white hot flash that burned through him and set his retinas on fire. As his body reeled from the agony of his knee, an unexplainable _crack_ also resounded through his mind. The two sensations warred with each other for dominance, leaving the turtle heaving on the ground without enough breath to fill his lungs.

The splitting of his head was winning out, and discouraging every attempt to force air back into his chest. The pain built to a crescendo which resounded over his brain like a sonic boom, and the first sign of clarity shot to the surface.

In the midst of the torture, one bright spot burst like a super nova and briefly overshadowed everything else. He could remember. Memories flooded his mind along with the twin torrents of pain now, overwhelming in the speed with which they shifted before his imagination.

_Breathe! _His instinct to survive was pushing him, reminding the turtle that he needed oxygen. _BREATHE! _He sucked in sharply, inhaling with every ounce of determination that he had left.

For all of his effort, the breath was shallow, barely filling his lungs. The overpowering combination of the pain from his knee and his skull along with the emotional resurgence of memories was too much to take. His next attempt to breathe fell flat as he passed out on the arena floor.


	31. Kidnapped

***Wait, what's this? Another chapter? Why yes, it is. I've been trying hard not to burden anybody this summer, but I felt this was a particular moment that needed a faster update. You're about to see life through the eyes of another character, and learn a little more about her particular...uniqueness. **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! I know I've been "silent" for quite a few days now, but I've been eagerly anticipating the release of the next ten or so chapters. I still value your feedback more than gold, and treasure each comment that comes my way.**

**Now...onward, march!**

* * *

><p>The only thing Kamryn could think of was getting to the turtle. She had no idea how badly Virtus was hurt but she needed to get her own hands on him, even though she knew the medic unit was better equipped to help. When the emergency personnel came onto the floor, the young woman took it as her cue to move too.<p>

She headed straight for the center of the ring, but another Overlord smoothly cut her off. Kamryn glared at the elohim with new boldness, even while his iron grip crushed her wrist.

"Let me go! I'm allowed to have access to him; I'm his trainer!"

"I know exactly _what_ you are, 255, and you should not forget it either."

"I've been assigned to assist him. Why are you stopping me?"

"The terrapin is no longer your concern, human. Your pet is going to Yasir, so you will need something else to coddle."

"Virtus is no more a _pet_ than you have a living soul! I just want to see him."

The Overlord shook his head and pulled her in another direction so quickly she nearly tripped over her own feet. He yanked her alongside the bars surrounding the crowd stands, dragging her to one of the gates. Once he'd unlocked the pass-through he deposited her on the other side, and the gate swung shut with a loud _clang_.

"Go home, 255," he commanded. "Forget about the terrapin. You will have a new assignment in the morning."

"I don't _need_ a new assignment!" she cried. "What does Yasir want with him?"

"I do not answer to _you_, human. Now unless you want to face punishment of your own, pick up your feet and move on."

Even as the words left his mouth, she was straining to see past the four medics surrounding the turtle. _I should get higher, _she realized. _Maybe I'll be able to see something!_

Kamryn turned without another word to the Overlord and began rapidly climbing stars, ascending levels of seating with the hope of getting a better glimpse of what could be happening. By the time she'd made it half-way up the arena the young woman was heaving slightly from emotion rather than exertion.

Kamryn hesitated then, turning around to search for the turtle from her new position. She huffed angrily under her breath when she found the medics still blocking too much of her view. She dropped onto a long bench, sighing anxiously while she settled in to wait for a clear shot of him.

_He isn't dead, _she comforted herself. _I didn't see Barak deliver a kill strike, and it wouldn't take the medics this long to determine that he was gone. _She shuddered to think of what the Overlord _had_ done to Virtus, as the memory of the turtle's cry rang in her ears.

She continued to wait dejectedly, ignoring other elohim who were leaving the stands and the human crew which was following in their wake to clean up. Kamryn's breath hitched when two of the medics broke formation, and she leaped to her feet. In the blink of an eye she focused her unusual sight, squinting to activate the distance vision that had taken some adapting to get used to.

When Kamryn caught her first glimpse of the turtle, the bright red color of the tube running down his throat held her attention. _I can't imagine why they would do that, unless he stopped breathing completely. _She quickly turned to take in the rest of his form, trying to determine injuries before her view could be obstructed again.

Kamryn could see blood, but didn't linger long over any single injury until she noticed the unnatural angle of his right leg. She blinked back tears as the other two medics returned with a stretcher to carry the turtle out. _Yasir means nothing good for him. This doesn't make any sense. Why put him into the Matches if they were only going to withdraw him? I told him there were ways to escape the ring, but I didn't think it would only be to return to the monster of _all _monsters._

The urge to cry was so strong that she couldn't help but let tears fall. _I knew our friendship probably wouldn't last forever, that any day I saw him could possibly be the last one based on someone else's whim. I still wasn't ready for this._

A yell attracted her attention from behind, and Kamryn recognized her presence lingering there hadn't gone unnoticed. She cast another long look at the arena floor, ignoring the louder demand from an Overlord, urging her to leave in a derogatory fashion.

Kamryn rolled her eyes and returned to the stairs, descending to get back down to the ground level. The young woman slipped through the remnants of onlookers and slaves with quiet tears streaming. _I was of no use to him whatsoever. Virtus doesn't deserve this. By El, he doesn't deserve it! How can there be such a God that would allow evil to constantly triumph over what little good exists?_

Kamryn slowly made her way outside of the Coliseum. She didn't know exactly what time it was, and what's more, she didn't care. The idea of missing check-in with the Overlords of her assigned barracks wasn't frightening anymore. _I don't care what happens to me, _she thought faintly. _It won't matter if they beat me or lock me up. None of it matters if he's gone. The only real friend I've ever had…_

She stood facing the traffic of land cruisers for a few moments, and the images ran together into a blur as she cried. When Kamryn began moving again it was more slowly than before, trudging down the side of the road at a rate that would take her about two hours to get back to the slave barracks. That was _if _she wasn't picked off by some other Overlord first. There were many elohim who enjoyed hauling a slave home before curfew for the power rush it gave them.

The traffic on her left side was heavy, but she barely heard the sound. It was taking all of the energy she possessed to merely walk step by step, foot by foot toward her hated destination. There had been a time when Kamryn actively avoided pessimism, but with the consistent health battles she faced because of experimentation and the hopelessness of her own life, the truth of the depression she felt deep down had worked to the surface.

_I hate this city. I hate these Overlords. I _hate_ this life. I hate that Virtus is the only good thing I've known in recent remembrance, and I hate this existence even more because he can't be—_

A hand landed on her back, interrupting her train of thought and bringing her up short in her footstep. "You are 255?" the crisp voice of an Overlord demanded.

"Get your hands off me!" she returned. "I'm already on my way to the barracks."

"_Are_ you 255?" he repeated.

"That is my _number_, not my name," she replied angrily.

Kamryn gasped when the elohim suddenly yanked her off the ground, drawing her up under his arm. She started cry out, and was startled when a hand clapped over her mouth. _Why would he care if someone heard me? He's a "god." He can do whatever he pleases!_

As her captor headed for the street, an elohim stepped between her Overlord and the oncoming traffic, almost as if he was _purposefully_ shielding Kamryn from view. The young woman breathed rapidly while they crossed to the other side of the street, skirting around a luxury cruiser of ridiculous size.

The elohim who'd accosted her climbed into the back of the craft with Kamryn still tucked under his arm, and called over his shoulder. _"Tell them to drive! We waste no more time here."_

The interior of the cruiser was dark and foreboding. Kamryn immediately sensed there was more to the encounter than a simple "capture and deliver". The elohim set her down lightly on her feet and removed his hands from her entirely.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, suddenly more tentative.

"We need your help," the alien returned.

"You require the assistance of a worthless human being? That's almost laughable."

"Young woman, do you care about the one whom you were charged to train? From your behavior at the Match tonight, it seems like he matters to you."

Kamryn kept her mouth shut while she tried to determine where the conversation could be going. As she hesitated, the scent of more individuals overwhelmed her. "Who _else_ is here?" she demanded. "You don't smell like elohim."

"Are you going to answer my question, human?" her kidnapper asked.

"I _might_ answer your question once I know what's going on. Who's out there? Why are you hiding from me?"

The faintest sound of shuffling feet reverberated in her ears, and Kamryn blinked rapidly. Within seconds her sight became accustomed to the darkness, and night vision was kicking in. She focused on the outlines of figures across from her and realized she _definitely_ wasn't in the presence of more Overlords.

"You don't smell like elohim, and you don't _look_ like them either," she asserted. "So who are all of you, and what do you want from me? I can assure you that I have nothing of value."

"That is not true," one of the strangers returned. "You have spent long periods of time with the target we seek. The question is whether you will be with us or against us."

"I don't know you, so I can't say either way," Kamryn retorted stubbornly.

"We need to find him," a new voice interjected. The tone of this one was both insistent and desperate at the same time. "Any information give us would be appreciated."

"Why should I tell you _anything_?" she shot back. "How can I believe a single word you say? You had me picked up right off the street and you're probably going to make me miss check-in, which will get me into _more_ trouble."

"We don't mean him _or _you any harm. You don't understand how important this is."

"Oh, I understand," she said sarcastically. "What I'm waiting for is _one_ good reason why I should help you find your 'target.'"

There was another scuffle of feet and a shared whisper in the background before a small overhead light flickered on, and the dim outlines of the creatures came into full view. She gasped when she found two _turtles_ like Virtus standing against the opposite wall.

One in a blue mask took a careful step toward her. "Because he's our brother, and we're here to get him back."

She wasn't able to form a reply through the rapid short breaths which had taken over her lungs. When Kamryn looked beyond the turtles, the sight of what could only be _Ruairi_ made her stumble backwards. "Y-You're here to save him?"

"Yes," the turtle replied calmly, although she imagined he was about to burst. "Along with a few others. Do you know where he is, or how he's doing?"

Kamryn took a deliberately deep breath. "The Overlords wouldn't let me near him," she said. "But the elohim who kicked me out, he said that your brother was going to Yasir."

"He will be underground too then," the elohim behind her said. "This may complicate things further."

"No," the blue-masked turtle negated. "You're thinking about this the wrong way, Ghyath. Mike is already down there, and you're fairly certain the Ruairi hostage is too. If that's where they're taking Don, then we can scoop them up in one trip."

"Are you forgetting that bunker is the most secure place in Arcadia?" Ghyath asked. "_Nothing_ about this is going to be easy."

"Isn't it something that we even know where he's going?" the second turtle spoke up. "Call it as hard as you want; we're a lot closer to getting our brothers now than we were yesterday."

"Brothers, plural?" Kamryn verified.

"Yes," the first answered. "Look, why don't we get settled down? We obviously don't mean you any harm."

"Well, I don't mind coming along for the ride, but the energy binder I'm wearing is going to be set off in the next hour or so if I miss check-in."

Ghyath crossed in front of her and motioned for the young woman to sit down. "I am sorry I scared you," he apologized. "I needed to be quick, and I assumed you would not readily trust me."

She stared at the golden-eyed elohim mutely while he unlocked and removed her binder. "You assumed correctly," she finally said. "Why are you doing this? What's in it for you?"

"Not all of us agree with the agenda of the Overlords," Ghyath told her.

Kamryn still wasn't sure what to think of him, but thankfully he backed away before she had to say anything else.

"We should return to the bulkhead." The elohim motioned to the ceiling.

Kamryn's brow furrowed curiously as the others began climbing through a hatch that had previously been invisible to the naked eye. She stiffened when Ghyath invited her over, but allowed the alien to boost her into the overhead compartment.

The young woman looked around in awe at the comfortable space of the hidden living quarters, but couldn't take in the entire bulkhead before the blue-masked turtle called out to her.

"Will you sit down and talk with us?"

Kamryn came over to the low seating and joined them with a little trepidation.

"My name is Leonardo," he said. "This is Raphael. Do you have a real name that people call you?"

"Kamryn," she said faintly. "This is the _last_ way I pictured the evening turning out. I had no idea the Overlords were going to take Virtus, or…What did you call him?"

"Donatello," Leonardo replied. "You _do _care what happens to him."

"He's my friend," she insisted. "I would do anything to help him."

"Do you have any idea how badly he was hurt tonight?" Raphael asked tightly.

"Not really," she admitted. "The assault itself looked…brutal. It couldn't be called a fight. But your brother was so brave." Emotion threatened to erupt, and she tried to swallow it back down. "I found a higher vantage point to catch sight of him when they sent me away, but I couldn't discern much from a distance. His right leg may have been broken. I can still hear his cry…" Kamryn trailed off, refusing to finish. She was surprised by the way Leonardo jolted.

"What did the Overlord do exactly?" he asked flatly.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "But it looked like he intentionally singled out that leg."

"Could they have _known_, Leo?" the red-masked turtle wondered.

Leonardo braced a hand against his forehead. "Of course they knew. Yasir went over _all_ of us with a fine-tooth comb. If they busted Don's knee, _someone_ is going to pay." The turtle dropped his hand in slow motion and looked at Kamryn. "Can we count on you?"

She nodded instantly. "The last thing I want to do is go back to those barracks, and I _don't_ want to see Donatello suffer. I may not be what you were hoping for in an ally, but I'll do my best."

"We're a pretty unique bunch as it is," Leonardo assured her. "Welcome to the team."


	32. Protective

Raphael was on the brink of insanity. The bulkhead, which had first seemed to have plenty of room, now was shrinking around him. The very air he was breathing felt hot and stifling, adding to his restlessness.

It had been quiet for a little over two hours, because everyone was supposed to be resting up. _Resting from what? All we've done is sit around, _he silently fumed. _We ran away while Donny was taking the fall back there, and didn't even try to do anything about it. I'm not gonna last through much more of this._

The red-masked turtle rolled over with an irritated growl, and was startled when a figure lunged to their feet. Kamryn's silhouette gave her away in the dim lighting, and Raphael raised a hand to reassure her.

"Hey, it's cool," he said quietly. "I don't bite – at least not someone like you."

Her green cat eyes looked a little eerie in the lighting, but her posture relaxed. "Given the right set of circumstances, I suppose _anyone_ could bite."

"True that, but I don't make a habit of attacking friends. You were there for Donny, weren't you?"

"I did what I could," she replied. "Admittedly, it doesn't feel like much. I think he probably did more for _me_."

Raphael moved over to the bench that was the furthest away from the others sleeping, and motioned for Kamryn to follow him. "So how long you been in for?"

"In for what?" She sounded confused.

The turtle chuckled at himself for using the familiar phrase. "I mean, how long have the Overlords had you under their thumb?"

"I've lived on Zuhur my entire life. I was born here."

"You never been _anywhere_ else?"

"No," she said simply. "I've heard some stories about Earth, mostly limited to rumors from elohim. That's where Leonardo said you came from too, right?"

Raphael nodded. "But you…um…you're human," he stated awkwardly.

"Yes. I'm another victim of Yasir's genetic games; a failed hybrid, you might say."

"That sucks," he said, only because nothing else immediately came to mind.

Kamryn shrugged. "That's my life, or it was, I suppose. I don't know what will happen to me now, but…It seems like anything is better than being a slave under the Overlords for the rest of my days."

Raphael inhaled sharply. "Yeah, I guess we could be getting you into a lot of trouble by bringing you with us." He felt guilty even as he admitted the words out loud. There was no doubt in his mind they could be leading the innocent woman to her death.

"You know what, Raphael? I don't care, and that's the truth. It's come to the point where I would be willing to do anything to escape the Overlords, whether I survive this or not."

"Well, you're with people who want to do the right thing, Kamryn. Anyone who tries to get to you is gonna have to come through _me_ first."

Kamryn gave him her first real smile. "It's easy to see that you and Donatello are brothers. He was protective of me too. I've never known anyone like that."

The red-masked turtle sighed as he leaned back against the seat. "It's hard to separate us from those instincts, even when our minds have been screwed with."

"Your brother…he's intelligent, isn't he? Donatello was so bored in that cell, desperate for something to do. When the Overlords finally allowed me to give him paper and pen to write with, he was filling page after page with numbers. I'm not sure what _any _of it meant."

Raphael smirked. "It means he's a genius. You get used to it."

"And Earth is the only home that you and your brothers have had?"

He rubbed a hand over his eyes while anxiety did somersaults in his stomach again. "Yeah, us and our family. That's one of the worst things out of all of this. The rest of our people are back there, and they've got no clue what's happened to us. I don't know if there's anything more frustrating than this feeling."

"Are there many of them?"

"Our circle...uh…it's grown over the years. Family is more than blood, y'know? We've got a nice network of people we can trust. And now they're probably going out of their minds trying to find us." Raphael stared at the floor.

"You must miss them terribly," she half-whispered.

"There are no words to describe it. When I think about my girls, the pain is almost _physical_."

"Your girls?"

"My wife and daughter. When I close my eyes I can see their faces…and I don't know if it's better not to sleep so that I don't have to miss them, or to give in completely so I can feel a little closer to them for a while." He wasn't sure why he was so being this open with a strange girl he'd just met, but there was something about Kamryn that resonated deeply with the turtle.

"I guess you have to take what you can get for now, and keep fighting for the rest," she said thoughtfully. "The elohim have made a vast number of trips to your planet. It stands to reason there's a way for you to get home."

"You can bet we're gonna find it," Raphael muttered.

"Is your wife human?"

"Yeah. I didn't expect to have a wife and kid…I never pictured it. But life happens, even when we don't plan it. I think the same could be true for you, Kamryn. Just because you've been a slave your whole life doesn't mean you can't live free."

"My path has already been chosen for me."

"The shell it has. You're here now, ain't you? Bet you didn't see _that_ coming."

"No." She laughed. "I can honestly say it wasn't on the agenda for tonight, but it's a welcome deviation, nonetheless."

"The point is things change, Kamryn. You're walking along like normal one second, and then BAM. You're never the same."

The young woman crossed her arms over her chest as if she was cold. "I don't know if there's hope for me, Raphael, but I'm willing to hold on and find out."

"Can't ask for anything more than that." He gave her a half grin as he relaxed more. "I'm glad Donny had you with him through those Matches. I'm glad he didn't have to do it alone."

"I still don't think I helped much, but I was happy to be there…and I'm grateful to be here with you too."

Raphael nodded approvingly. _She's a good girl, no doubt. It's nice to meet somebody that I don't constantly have to second-guess. I wonder when that will happen again. _He noticed that Kamryn was watching him pensively.

"What's that look for?" he asked. "You don't have to be afraid to say something, Kamryn."

"I'm worried," she said softly. "It scares me that Yasir took Donatello this way. I'm glad they didn't kill him outright. I expected them to execute your brother the moment he refused to kill the Ruairi hostage. But the fact that he's alive and they sent medics for him means that Yasir _wants_ him for something."

Raphael swallowed. "We'll get him back," he said tenaciously, more for her sake than his. "We'll find _all_ of our people. That's what we do, Kamryn. We're constantly taking on 'Mission Impossible', and this time ain't gonna be any different. You still glad you came long for the ride?"

"Absolutely, Raphael. I don't regret this. I'm not going to, no matter what happens to me."

* * *

><p>Raphael waited beside Leonardo as quietly as he could, while Bahri was discussing something over his crystal with another elohim in the cruiser below them. Kamryn was sitting on his other side, and he couldn't help noticing the intense "listening" expression on her face.<p>

The red-masked turtle glanced at the open hatch and then back at the young woman. "You know what he's _saying_, don't you?"

"He's discussing a tactical weapon with someone," she told him. "I don't know what it's for. He hasn't said if—" Kamryn cut off suddenly when Achaz approached them.

"Thank you for being patient with us," the Ruairi greeted them. "I know it is difficult given the circumstances."

"You know what's _difficult_?" Raphael snapped. "Not knowing what the shell is going on. Are we on the same team or not?"

Ghyath strode across the platform to join them. "I apologize for the delay," he told them. "Important details are still being worked out. When we have solutions, you will know about them."

"But you do realize that every hour we linger could be drawing us closer to the death or dismemberment of our loved ones?" Achaz challenged. "_You_ may have time to be patient as your own kind has been for decades, but that is not the case for our hostages."

"We are doing the best we can," Ghyath returned. "This is a hard thing to ask of anyone, even if you exclude the impossible time frame."

"I only pray this delay does not cost us one of the turtles," Achaz said angrily, shooting a glance at Leonardo. "If it comes to it, the Ruairi will fight with you whether the elohim want to move or not."

"No one said that we were not going to move!" Ghyath couldn't maintain an even tone that time. "You do not understand the importance of _timing_, Achaz! We are trying to break into the most secure place in Arcadia, and it requires a certain level of assistance. We are acquiring the help that we need _before_ we put ourselves in danger. Does that sound logical to anyone else?"

"Yes, to a point," Leonardo replied.

Raphael could see the glint of suspicion in his brother's eyes, and guessed he was wondering if the elohim were stalling too.

"I will go find out what Bahri's status is," Ghyath said suddenly, stalking off in frustration.

Achaz shook his head at the elohim's retreating form. "They are afraid, Leonardo. For decades they have been in hiding, waiting for an 'opportunity.' I tell you, they do not have the boldness to act on their own. Why do you think Bahri came to the Ruairi? Because _we_ will take the risks when necessary."

Leonardo's face was a mask of uncertainty. "Bahri and Ghyath have been nothing but supportive. It does seem like they're ready to take the plunge this time, Achaz. I mean, Bahri spent a lot of time with you, didn't he? Doesn't that indicate he's ready to do something?"

"He _wants_ to be ready, Leonardo, but I do not know that he _is_. But we have a goal in mind, and we will accomplish it either way. I will stand with you, terrapins, if you promise to stand with me.

"The elohim need someone to guide them. Without the Overlords controlling their movement, they behave like they are lost. But you are different – you know the meaning of honor and loyalty. You would not need a Ruairi to pull you around by the hand and encourage you to do what is right when it is not the _easiest_ thing."

"Are you saying that the elohim don't want to do the right thing?" Kamryn asked apprehensively.

"No, I am saying they are famous for taking too _long_. They will let a 'holy' man die before they heed his words, and feel guilty for the evil which was done rather than standing up to prevent it to begin with," Achaz returned.

The red-masked turtle cocked his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Ask me again sometime, Raphael, and I will explain all. Right now the important thing is not to allow the elohim to slow down or halt our progress. They would be very sad if something happened to our loved ones, but that is hardly enough to make up for it. Your brothers do not need to be experimented on, and that is the horror that awaits them. The Ruairi have been in that seat, _she_ has been in that seat." Achaz motioned to Kamryn. "You do not want them to be there."

The young woman shuddered. "No, you don't."

"Have _you_ got some plan for getting us into this bunker?" Raphael asked.

"I do not think we should separate from the elohim, yet. Their assistance could still be very helpful," Achaz soothed. "But we must make certain they do not lose sight of the urgency of this mission."

Leonardo faced the Ruairi head-on. "We're also concerned for the _rest_ of our friends, Achaz. We don't intend to leave them to fend for themselves. The matter doesn't seem to be settled in the minds of the elohim."

Achaz shook his head. "They _want_ to help, Leonardo. I am just not certain of how quickly they can force themselves to act. You and your brothers seem to have the most to lose in this situation, and I will gladly speak for you to Bahri and Ghyath. I will tell them the rest of your friends need to be recovered too. I will not stand for them to compromise."

Raphael's amber eyes widened. He hadn't expected the Ruairi leader to be so agreeable to tracking down the missing humans.

"If there is one thing our experience with the Anunnaki taught us, it is that life matters," Achaz asserted. "Your loved ones are significant, as is the life of this young woman." He gave Kamryn a lingering glance before looking back at the turtles. "To turn your back on your people is a disgraceful thing."

"We agree," Leonardo said meaningfully. "And it _would _mean a lot if you'd help me to convey that to the elohim. They seem to listen to you."

"They are helpless on their own," Achaz said. "But Bahri and Ghyath have good intentions. They would not hurt anyone on purpose."

"We gotta make sure they don't hurt anyone by _accident_ either," Raphael added.

The Irish accent of his old human friend drifted up through the hatch, and Raphael rolled his eyes. _He's down there with the elohim of course. Ezra may as well be one of them._ The red-masked turtle sighed crossly. _I don't care if I have to break outta this car with my bare hands – that Doctor freak isn't turning my brothers into this month's experiment._


	33. Repair

Donatello opened his eyes with a strangled gasp, the parting memory of conflicting pains reverberating in his psyche. He automatically heaved for air before realizing that it was unnecessary. The turtle lifted his head with effort, and looked around at the sterile environment which instantly struck a chord in his memory.

_This is where I woke up the first time, _he recalled. _It was the only thing I remembered after Yasir—_Donatello's thought cut off as the realization of his current frame of mind dawned on him. _I can _remember_! I remember _everything_._

The revelation was both exciting and terrifying as the enormity of the danger sent chills through his body like an electric shock. _What did they do with the others? _The urge to struggle for breath hit him once more, but he fought the temptation to panic with all of his strength. _Losing it won't help me; it won't get me anywhere._

_Shell, I can't believe this. If anything's happened to my brothers, to Jenna—_The thought of the raven-haired woman made him anxious and furious. _I've got to find them! I have to get out of here somehow. There has to be…_Donatello slowly trailed off when he noticed he wasn't even restrained.

_Can I get up? _The familiar intense pain he'd felt in his knee made him suspect his old nemesis had reared its ugly head again. He worked his way up on his elbows, fighting with gravity to gain mere inches. Donny grimaced at the sight of his swollen limb, clenching his fists in frustration while he collapsed back down on the table.

_I don't _feel _anything right now, but that idiot did me in all right. Doc is going to kill me when we get home…if we can get there. _He sighed as he tried to imagine what it would take to recover _this_ time. The fact that he wasn't currently in pain was confusing. _I wonder if there's some kind of nerve damage too. I can't help but think that these Overlords might have done something to me. There's no telling how long I was out._

Against his better judgment, he was irresistibly drawn to test his limb out. _I must be out of my mind. _Donatello carefully flexed the muscles in his leg. Sharp pain reported back to him, but it wasn't the sensation he'd expected. His knee was acting as if it had been overextended, but it didn't feel like the ligaments had been torn.

He was even more curious now, and took a deep breath while he attempted a minute rotation. The pain that met him was tolerable and it felt like the function was _there_. Donatello was so perplexed that he turned his leg further, _waiting_ for the serious pain to hit him. When it didn't come, the turtle shook his head. _How is this possible? I remember feeling my knee pop; there's no way I'd forget it._

"I see you are confused, terrapin."

The startling voice from overhead almost made him jump; or _would_ have if he possessed the energy. Donatello looked around for the source of the sound, and saw an Overlord in a long grey cloak descending a set of stairs. The turtle felt every muscle in his body tense up.

_It's _him_. We're back at square one, right where it started and he took everything from me. _The pulse of uncontrollable fury that ran through his mind nearly overcame his senses. _Wait. I wonder if he can _tell_ I've got my memory back. Maybe I should try playing it cool and find out what he knows first. There's no reason to give myself away if he doesn't realize I remember everything._

Donatello still _wanted_ to strangle the life out of the alien until Yasir agreed to take him to his family, but the desire wasn't practical from a physical standpoint either. _Okay, take it easy, Donny. Don't mess this up. _The turtle looked down at his knee and then focused on the approaching elohim.

"What happened?" he forced an even note into his tone. "Your thug destroyed my knee; I _know_ he did. I felt it. But it doesn't…it's not…something's isn't right here. What did you do to me?"

"It would be more appropriate for you to ask what I did _for_ you, 626," Yasir replied. "Did the pain feel familiar to you? I would not be surprised."

_What? Huh? You won't get _me_ to admit that I remember anything. I don't feel like having my brain vaporized again, thanks._

"I can report that your knee troubles are over," Yasir continued.

"Troubles?" he echoed dumbly.

"I took the liberty of repairing your leg – I assumed you might be grateful."

_You did _what_? _Donatello took a deep breath to steady himself. "What are you talking about, Yasir?"

"This has been an unlucky limb for you, 626," the elohim explained. "You possessed a graft from where injured ligaments were reconstructed. I gathered from the evidence that this has been a recurring injury for you—"

"Can you tell me something that makes a shred of sense?" Donatello tried to interrupt, but Yasir wasn't finished with his dissertation.

"The graft was decent for what it was, but hopelessly antiquated. Despite the modicum of stability it provided, your knee was still vulnerable. From the amount of cartilage you'd lost combined with what I can only assume was a high activity level, I can say with _certainty_ you would have experienced more problems."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I probably replaced it at the righ—"

"Replaced it with what?" the turtle cut in angrily. _Marc is going to have kittens when he finds out this guy messed with his work._

"A very special material," Yasir answered. "You are quite lucky I favor you, terrapin."

Donatello was tempted to ask how he would treat someone he _didn't_ favor, but at that moment, his tactic changed. _Yasir likes to hear himself talk. If I ask nicely enough, he might tell me anything I want to know. _"What kind of material?"

Yasir smiled broadly. "Arsiterite."

"I've never heard of it."

"I expected as much."

_Then why didn't you tell me what it was to start with, moron? Shell, I hate that I have to play along with you. _Donatello remained passive on the outside. "What's so special about it?"

"It is a combination of two different elements which offers flexibility at the right temperature, and a greater overall strength than any other known material. With the appropriate high heat the alloy can be reduced to a liquid state where it is malleable, and then molded for whatever purpose we desire. Some of our weapons are even fashioned from Arsiterite. Once the alloy has taken a permanent form out of the liquid state, it is much less susceptible to temperature, and becomes virtually indestructible."

Don's brow creased. "And you used this…Arsiterite to fix my knee?"

"I combined the new ligaments I cultured from your own DNA with just the right amount of Arsiterite to grant excellent stability. It is a delicate process, whereby I had to inject enough of the alloy to strengthen but not _inhibit_ the elasticity of the ligaments."

"But how did you have time to do something like that? How long was I unconscious?"

Yasir chuckled. "Close to 40 hours, but then, you _were_ sedated."

"I was—" Donatello stopped himself before he said something that revealed he knew too much. "How do you know an implant of this nature won't cause me other issues? I've been told that I'm rather unique. You can't have had much opportunity to study my physiology."

"I have had plenty of chances, terrapin; _weeks _in fact to learn all about your peculiar genetic structure. While the alloy was in a pliable state I infused it with your own tissue, which makes rejection highly unlikely. Trust me, 626, your knee is stronger now than it has _ever_ been in your life. The density of Arsiterite is greater than the original ligaments, and more powerful than any bone in your body. You can thank me later, if you prefer."

"_Thanks" isn't the first thing coming to mind right now. I sure hope he knows what the shell he's doing. _Donatello trusted that his disdain for the man was being reflected in his eyes. "What happens with my leg now?"

"The swelling should come down in a couple of days, and then you ought to be able to bear weight on it. It will not be comfortable at once, but I think that you will adjust quickly."

"How long of a recovery do you foresee?"

"I just told you, terrapin. You will be back on your feet in a couple of days."

"So I can return to the ring?"

Yasir chuckled. "No, 626. I never intended for it to be your permanent home."

"Then why send me there? Why let someone wreck my knee, only so you could put it back together? I'm not trying to be a jerk, Yasir, I'm just feeling confused."

The Overlord smiled again. "I do not blame you for having questions, terrapin. Slowly, some of them will be answered, especially if you prove cooperative."

"What are you going to do with me?" he asked directly.

Yasir shrugged. "I intend to learn from you. Other than that, I cannot say for certain."

"Learn from me? That doesn't make any sense, unless…are you planning on using me the way you did Kamryn?"

"I _did _hear she was your trainer. An interesting young woman, that one."

"You didn't answer my question," Don pointed out.

"I do not _have_ to, terrapin."

The turtle shut his mouth and looked away from the annoying sight of Yasir.

"Oh, come now, 626. We were getting along so nicely."

"If you want to have a conversation with me, then you have to answer some of the important questions. Otherwise I'll just play the part of the silent guinea pig you _really_ want me to be."

"I think that is harsh, terrapin. You would have died that day after refusing the Death Match if it was not for me. I went to a lot of trouble to fix your knee. That 'thug' would have torn you to pieces if I had not spoken for you."

"Thank you," he said through gritted teeth, forcing down the bile that speaking gratitude produced.

Yasir's bright smile returned. "I have always enjoyed a challenge, in addition to a good mystery. There is a certain thrill to the art of discovery which is lost on many people. You have an inquisitive mind too; I can tell."

"It's hard _not_ to be inquisitive when your mind is an empty vessel," Donny said flatly.

"True, but an empty vessel is easier to fill; that is if you _want_ to carry substance."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your work with numbers was not lost on the guards in your unit, terrapin. Nor is it insignificant to me. I know that you possess a keen intellect. When it comes to _this_ world though, you are still in over your head. There are a lot of things I could teach you, if you really want to learn."

_For the love of Pete. Is he serious? By all means, take me on as your Padawan learner. Idiot. _Donatello eyed the alien coolly. "I wouldn't say I'm there yet, Yasir."

"I understand, but keep this in mind, 626. It was my persuasion alone that stood between you and death. The Altus _wanted_ to execute you."

"And you saved me because you want me for something," Don filled in.

"You would not be here at all if I did not want something from you; I should think that was plain for _anyone_ to see."

"Will I _still_ be alive after you get whatever you hope to acquire?"

"That is my goal. I cannot guarantee how the trials will favor you, but it is not my intention to kill you. I would prefer to only _improve_ your health."

"Hence fixing my knee," Donny said thoughtfully. "What do you expect to learn from me?"

"Whether you realize it or not, you are more unique than any creature I have ever seen. You, terrapin, are the living, breathing example of something which has been eluding me for the better part of a century."

"I don't follow you."

"I think you know better than that. I believe you have _some _understanding of how enigmatic your physiology is. You are neither one thing nor another, but a cross between two creatures that can peacefully coexist as a single unit."

"I know you're trying to create a hybrid – I could figure that out just by talking to Kamryn. But what does that have to do with me?"

"You might figure it out if you think it through, terrapin. Let us save this conversation for a couple more days, shall we? I have several more things to accomplish before I can even plan the parallel experiments."

_Parallel? He must have one of the other guys stashed nearby! Darn it, if I wasn't so weak I would _do_ something right now! _Donatello sighed inwardly. _What would I do if I _had _the energy? We're not home. I can't hotwire a few keypads and get us out. There are no sewers to run to, and no one I can trust, with the exception of Kamryn._

_I don't even know how to find _her!_ Kamryn was the one constant that I could rely on, but she's a slave too. If she can't save herself from their hands, I don't know how she'd be able to help us. Is there a way out this time?_

Donny broke from pondering long enough to realize Yasir was staring at him. He wanted to scowl at the alien, but he theorized that by remaining calm and mostly compliant, he could hide his fully intact memory from the Overlord. _Maybe I can keep learning from him too. I wonder if he'll take me out of this room. It'll probably mean going to another cell, but at least I would get the chance to see some things. I need an idea of the layout if there's to be any chance for escape._

The elohim shook his head. "How I wish I could pick your brain apart and discover where you came from, 626."

"I can't help you there."

"There are ways I may be able to help _you_, but I have reason to believe your violent nature would kick in before we manage an intelligent exchange."

"My violent nature?" Donatello was so irritated by the remark that he had to check himself from shouting. "You stuck me in a cage with other aliens that I _never_ wanted to fight. I only defended myself time and time again, and you have the nerve to call me _violent_?"

"I watched you, terrapin. I saw _how _you fight. You say you did not want to hurt anyone, but when forced, you proved to be a lethal threat. That is why I am going to be very, very careful with you."

"If I'm so lethal then why didn't I kill that Ruairi in the Death Match and save my own shell? You don't know anything about me, Yasir. Don't pretend like you've got it all figured out."

"Do not misunderstand me, 626. I am sure I do not yet fully grasp your character. That is also why I intend to tread lightly with you."

Donatello rested his head against the table with a grunt. "I'm tired, Yasir. Can the rest of this weird conversation wait?"

"I have all the time in the world, terrapin. Rest will help you recover, and I have no intention of going forward with my first phase until you are physically prepared for it. I mean to take care of my prize."

The alien's words gave Donatello goosebumps. _I don't like how he refers to me. I don't like it at all. I've got a bad feeling that I'm about to start seeing things from Kamryn's perspective. There's _got_ to be a way out._


	34. Gossip

If there was one thing Leonardo abhorred, it was being in the middle of strategic planning for an operation, without knowing what was going on. Bahri had spoken with him very little. The elohim was either in communication with someone else over his crystal, or in a conference with Ghyath and their pilot, whom Leonardo had yet to be introduced.

When the blue-masked turtle tried to get Bahri to open up to him, the alien was distant and distracted. _Bahri was the one who said that he wanted to help us to begin with. He's the one who brought us the information about Raph, and gathered more Intel about the others. We wouldn't be here right now without him. _

_But it's been three days, and I still don't know what's going on with him. Maybe Achaz is right. I didn't want to accept what he said about the elohim, but it _does_ feel like they're stalling. Bahri told me himself that the elohim aren't hasty. They're probably fighting with their own nature on this trip. But if they aren't ready to take a stand against the Overlords, then why did they bring us here? Why go to all the trouble they already have?_

Leo rested his chin in his hand and sighed achingly. _I'm tired of waiting. I know that operations can be complicated, but if something doesn't happen soon I may have to go off on the next person who refuses to tell me anything. _He heard the soft _swoosh _of wings unfurling and looked up to see Achaz stretching multi-colored feathers.

"They feel stiff from being constrained for so long," the Ruairi explained. "No doubt you are weary of it yourself."

The turtle nodded. "Yeah. It would feel good to work off some of this tension, but we're not in a good place for that kind of exercise."

Achaz held out a flask toward him, but the turtle cautiously sniffed it before drinking any.

"This doesn't have any of that 'extract' in it, right?" Leonardo asked.

Raphael made the mistake of grabbing someone else's flask the night before, and ended up half-drunk before he realized what he'd done. Getting his red-masked brother to calmly go to sleep in the bulkhead after that was almost impossible.

Achaz gave him a bemused smile. "After seeing what it did for your brother's mood, you have nothing to fear of someone offering it to you, Leonardo."

Leonardo took a sip of the liquid and recognized the tangy after-taste. He'd been craving tea more than ever, but he forced himself to be grateful for what he had.

"Is it all right?" Achaz asked. "I was told it was fresh."

Leo nodded. "Yes, it's good. Thanks."

The Ruairi folded his wings behind his back and sank into a seat across from him. "Leonardo, I believe I know at least a portion of what the elohim are planning."

"They told you?"

"Or someone listened. What is the difference at this point? Do you want to hear it?"

"I'm not usually one for gossip, Achaz, but if I don't get some information soon I'll explode."

"They need to create an atmospheric disturbance."

"Come again?"

"The strategy involves disrupting the communication waves the Overlords' technology largely depends on. The crystals they carry as well as the fixed camera mounts operate under very specific frequencies that can be susceptible to attack."

"I'm familiar with the concept. My brother Donatello designed a device that can knock out particular frequencies of his choosing in a limited radius too."

"This would be on a somewhat _larger_ scale. Bahri mentioned the possibility of taking advantage of a disturbance in the past, but this is another big step for them to take."

"How do you cause an _atmospheric_ disturbance?"

"You always know the right questions to ask, Leonardo. I do not think it wise of the elohim to leave you out of their discussions. But as for the disturbance, you have been told that the atmosphere is unstable. With the introduction of the proper amount of explosive force, it can cause a chain reaction which then interferes with the communication waves."

"Are you talking about a wide-spread blackout?"

"Exactly, Leonardo. The actual outage may last no more than 10-15 minutes, but because it affects the _entire_ infrastructure of Arcadia, it will require more time before it becomes operational."

"Kind of like a…a reboot maybe? It would be better if you could talk to Don about this."

"Based on past history, Bahri theorizes that a complete blackout of communication could last somewhere between 70-80 minutes. That would be the time window in which we have to act."

"It doesn't give us a large margin for error. How do they intend to cause the disturbance to start with? You never mentioned that part."

"It requires the detonation of a strategically placed device."

"In other words, they want to blow up a bomb in the atmosphere."

"Not our group in this case, but more elohim allies. We need to be in position and ready to move underground the moment their devices are interrupted."

"What exactly do those crystals control, other than communication?"

"They are used heavily for surveillance and security…their entire existence is governed by them. The elohim are never parted from their personal crystals. Normally it would require a stone set with special parameters to navigate the underground bunker, but if the communication network goes down…"

"Then they still need some kind of back up, don't they?"

Achaz nodded. "You sound as if you have done this before."

"Achaz, you have no idea. Are there manual overrides in place?"

"I expect that there are, with the exception of the Labs themselves. The Anunnaki will go to any length to protect those."

"Why?" Leo asked suddenly.

"The Overlords are jealous of their technology, Leonardo. I told you they guard it even from each other."

"But there are still overrides that can get us into the bunker."

"I think that is part of what is holding up our elohim allies. It has been such a long time since the codes have been used, they are probably buried. I am sure they are also looking out for themselves."

"What do you mean?"

Achaz gave him a knowing look. "They do not want to give their plants away, Leonardo. The elohim want to continue using them where they are, so Bahri says. That or their courage does not yet extend far enough."

"But we're here, aren't we? Bahri and Ghyath are putting their necks on the line. Let's go talk to them _together_, Achaz. Perhaps as a combined force we'll actually get somewhere."

"Indeed, Leonardo, a team we shall be," the Ruairi said resolutely.

* * *

><p>Kamryn fidgeted nervously in her seat. She was grateful that the plan was finally going forward, but anxious at the same time. <em>They are taking a risk that will pose grave consequences if they fail. I only hope these elohim "plants" can live up to their responsibilities. <em>

After over two decades of living under the Overlords, Kamryn found the idea of them helping anyone else difficult to swallow, but she was trying to keep an open mind. She had found it easier to relate to the Ruairi, who beyond any other creature could understand the horrors she'd been through.

The long-awaited strategic plan had been laid out close to an hour ago, and there was nothing left to do but wait for the proper conditions to be created. _Waiting is all I'm consigned to. I won't be anywhere near the action. All I can do is sit by and hope they are able to pull this off, and that Virtus is all right. No...It's Donatello, _she corrected herself. _It is a good, strong name. It suits him._

The participants of the raid were yet in deep discussion on the other side of the bulkhead, and Kamryn had been sitting for far too long. The young woman got up and approached the hatch, sliding through the opening with a nimbleness that still surprised her occasionally. It had taken her a while to get used to the new strength and agility she'd acquired after the injections, along with the muscle tone which was hidden behind the dull tan tunic that marked her as a slave.

She refused to take advantage of the abilities Yasir had given her. _I'm not an animal – I'm human, _she reminded herself for the thousandth time. _I'm _not_ an animal, and I won't act like one! _It was the reason that Kamryn intentionally limited her physical activity, behaving as if she was too weak to engage in the exercises Yasir designed for her.

The young woman feigned inability at every turn, partially to avoid feeding the man's pride and also to discourage him from continuing the injections. _I can only imagine what he might do with me if I'd played along. Now I'm out of Yasir's hands and my days are numbered. There is no telling how long I have before I experience another cellular catastrophe. I just want the chance to see Donatello again and know he is safe with his family. That will be enough._

Kamryn heard someone land in the back of the cruiser behind her, and saw Achaz along with another Ruairi, Lajos. Achaz's gold-rimmed eyes appeared to be shining in the low light.

"Kamryn?" he said questioningly. "I am told that it is not safe for us to linger down here."

"I know," she acknowledged. "I only wanted to stretch my legs." _And escape the sight of the planning that has me so nervous_, she added inwardly.

"There is something I would like to talk to you about, young woman, but I think we should go back to the safety of the bulkhead first. Would it bother you to return?" Achaz asked.

"No," she agreed reluctantly. "I'm sure it's the right thing to do."

Lajos moved to give her a boost through the hatch, and Kamryn refrained from mentioning that she didn't _need_ help. She had both arms braced on the open panel when the Ruairi suddenly lurched beneath her so hard that she lost her grip. She scrambled to catch the edge again, scraping her right arm as she fell.

In a flash, the Ruairi caught her. "I am sorry." He sounded breathless. "It was my mistake. I thought I had a better hold of you."

Kamryn exhaled sharply. "It's okay – I'm all right. At least you didn't drop me completely," she offered tongue-in-cheek.

Achaz shouldered the other Ruairi out of the way. "Perhaps we could try that one more time?"

The leader assisted Kamryn this time, and then climbed up behind her. Achaz winced as he tentatively touched her shoulder. "I can see you were injured."

"It's not a big deal," she assured him. "I've seen _much_ worse in the ring, believe me."

"It is bleeding. Would you permit me to see it, Kamryn?"

"Um…sure. Okay."

He directed her into the empty corner and made a motion to Lajos. The second Ruairi retrieved a small case, and delivered it Achaz. Kamryn watched as the leader withdrew what she recognized as an antibacterial salve. His manner was so nonchalant that she found herself relaxing too.

"Are you comfortable here?" he asked.

"You mean where we are now?" she returned. "Or are you talking about in general?"

"It just seems…I do not want to offend you. You sometimes appear like you feel out of place. I hope that I and the Ruairi have not contributed to it."

"No, I don't have a problem with you, or anyone else specifically, that is…" she hesitated. "It's difficult to 'forget' the 22 years of bondage that have been ingrained into me. The Overlords have been my Masters, and everything is changing so fast."

"You can trust Bahri and Ghyath, you know," Achaz assured her. "They may have their failings like anyone else, but they mean well. That is more than I can say for the vast majority of the Anunnaki."

"You're telling me," she muttered. "It wasn't enough for them to own me as a slave; they had to take my body from me too." Kamryn shook her head. "There's no reason for me to be here, other than wanting to see Donatello again. Freedom is a moot point where I'm concerned."

Achaz's eyebrows rose. "Why do you say that?"

She immediately broke eye contact. "Because…I won't survive without the Overlords' medical intervention. My DNA is too unstable."

"Oh…I see," Achaz said softly. "That is unfortunate, but perhaps you are not without hope, Kamryn. Do not give up on the belief that you may be able to live. Nothing has been decided."

"I don't care either way," she replied. "If I only get to taste freedom for a few weeks or days…I still think I will die happier."

Kamryn felt a sharp sting and glanced down at her arm, where Achaz had rapidly withdrawn his hand.

"I am sorry," he told her. "I hope I did not hurt you badly."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine."

"We are not doing you any favors tonight," he lamented.

Kamryn chuckled. "_You're _not really what I expected."

"That does not surprise me, Kamryn. The Anunnaki has misrepresented my kind as terrorists for years. We do not come to kill innocent people or attack slaves. The only thing we desire is a chance to _live_ and continue as a race. The Overlords could fix the mess they created, but they have refused. There is no other option except for us to try and get the technology we need through other means."

Kamryn clenched her jaw in frustration. "We want the same thing, Achaz, which any rational being should be guaranteed as a basic right. We want to live."


	35. Temptation

***This is your author checking in for just a moment, to remind you that we're actually going somewhere, VERY soon. To Sapphire: No, unfortunately this chap doesn't focus on Mikey. It's hard to do anything with our orange-masked friend at the moment because of the way he's been drugged. But my promise stands that everything will balance out with the brothers. One more chapter...and then Operation Reunification begins. I may even have to post daily. ;)**

* * *

><p>Despite Yasir's reassurance, Donatello was hesitant when it came time to test the limits of his newly repaired knee. <em>With as much as I've been through with this leg, it's hard to believe it can be this simple. <em>He exchanged a glance with the watching Overlord, who in turn motioned encouragingly.

The turtle flexed his knee carefully. It didn't _feel_ different than normal ligaments. _But weight-bearing is the ultimate test. Okay, nothing left to do except try it._

Donny held his breath as he settled both legs down on the floor, and tentatively applied pressure to his right one. The same sensation of being "overextended" greeted him, but the pain was manageable. He gradually applied more weight until he was standing balanced equally on each leg. The turtle held the position, waiting to see how long the stability would last.

"You will gain nothing more until you trust it, 626," Yasir spoke up. "Walk. I am confident your limb is able to sustain it."

Don didn't look at the elohim, trying to pretend Yasir wasn't there anymore. He couldn't help wishing he had something to hold onto. _If I fall flat on my face in front of him, I'm gonna be ticked._

Donatello took his first step, and winced when a jolt of pain coursed through his entire leg. He willed himself to walk a couple more paces, forcing himself to bear the shooting pain instead of favoring his right knee like he wanted to. His biggest concern centered around the overall strength of his leg, and it seemed to be holding up to Yasir's word.

"That is good, terrapin. Do not stop now. You can feel it, can you not? The pain you are currently experiencing will fade. The implants will easily last you the rest of your life. Even if your leg was crushed, I do not believe the ligaments would be destroyed. What do you have to say to that, 626?"

The turtle wanted to roll his eyes. _I swear he's going to make me throw up. _"I'm grateful," he said evenly. _But I'd be happier if I wasn't your captive getting ready to undergo whatever weird experimental procedure is going through your head._

As Donatello took a lap around the room, he decided to try and take advantage of the good mood the Overlord appeared to be in. "What kind of problems have you been running into with creating hybrids? Take Kamryn's case for example."

"You care about that girl."

"I'm asking a question, Yasir. I'd kind of like to know what I'm getting into. What's the biggest hurdle you've been hitting?"

"DNA is not difficult to manipulate, terrapin. But when you are talking about a combination of strands, there are any number of things that can go wrong. I have seen many outright rejections, and even the more successful projects have either been short-lasting, or not self-sufficient."

"Like Kamryn," Donatello said. "She said something about her cells separating."

"That is correct. Oh, I felt like we were close with her. There were many reasons to feel optimistic. She survived the infusions, which is more than I can say for some creatures. Kamryn has experienced a type of physiological break-through, though she retains what appears to be an _almost_ normal human form."

Donny cringed at Yasir's description of the experiments. "How do you choose your subjects? Why pick Kamryn?"

Yasir rested his arms comfortably across his chest. "There are different reasons, particular gene tendencies that set people apart. I have obtained a genome map of every creature on this planet; it is part of the reorientation process. I use special software to break down the pool of candidates, and help me to choose the ones that are best suited for the project."

"The lottery of the luckiest," Don muttered. "Is this all Kamryn has to look forward to for the rest of her life?"

"You seem to be awfully concerned for your trainer, 626."

"Someone needs to be." He scowled. "She has no one to defend her. I may not be able to do that, but I _can_ speak for her."

"I find it interesting how taken your race is with the humans. I suppose it is only natural based on your DNA, but do you not have females of your own kind?"

Donatello blinked rapidly at what the alien was inferring. "Back up, Yasir. There's nothing going on between Kamryn and me. She's my friend, and the only person on this planet that I feel like I can trust."

"But that does not rule out your fascination with humans."

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"Perhaps not. But I have—or had, I should say, another young woman in my keep who was in an interesting condition. It suggests there is more than just casual attraction between your races."

"You _had_ a young woman?" Donatello's question came out as an accusation.

"She was only a means of curiosity to me; I never intended to keep her long-term. There was little chance of the pregnancy being viable. I did the only humane thing…"

In a flash of rage, the turtle felt like he'd vacated his own brain. He lunged at the elohim, intent on killing him with his bare hands. His feet barely left the ground when a rapid surge of exhaustion and heat sent him crashing down on his plastron.

Donatello growled angrily as he tried to override the weakness tingling through his limbs, but it was an impossible battle. Yasir calmly strode over to him, fingering his crystal in hand.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…temper, temper, _Donatello_. I thought it was worthwhile to test you, but I did not expect it to be _that_ easy. Still, you played your part well, terrapin. I did not realize you had broken the memory barrier until this very moment."

Donatello clenched his eyes shut as frustration and helplessness crushed him further to the floor. _Stupid! I had one thing going for me, and I just blew it! _

He heard the sound of a hatch hissing open overhead, followed by a rapid-fire question in the elohim's tongue.

"Oh, no, everything is fine," Yasir returned pleasantly in English. "You _could_ be kind enough to come down here and help the terrapin get more comfortable, Mukhtar."

Donatello swallowed when he heard a pair of feet descending the stairs, and opened his eyes as strong arms lifted him off the floor.

"On the table is fine, Mukhtar, and set the restraints please."

"_What did you do with her__?_" Donny demanded, all hope of the façade washed away. "Tell me what you did!"

Yasir ignored him for the moment, uttering a few more words in his own language to his henchman. Mukhtar nodded with a hand-signal of deference, and was gone as quickly as he'd appeared.

"All right, now we are settled. What were you saying?" Yasir asked nonchalantly.

"_Jenna_," Donny said through clenched teeth. "Where is she?"

The elohim laughed softly. "The woman is safe. We do not waste what could be exceedingly valuable. For the babies alone—"

"Babies?" the turtle interrupted. "Did you just say _babies_, as in more than one?"

Yasir cocked his head curiously. "You did not know that she carries twins? Ah. I have spoiled the surprise."

"What are you doing with them?" Donny tugged on the metal latches covering his wrists, though he knew the effort was futile.

"Once again, Donatello, it would be more appropriate for you to ask what I have done _for_ them. You should thank me, terrapin. If it were not for my hand, she would have miscarried them weeks ago. As it is, _she_ nearly died."

"If it weren't for _your_ hands, we wouldn't even be here!" Donatello shouted. "So help me God, Yasir, if you've hurt them I _will_ kill you!"

"Yes, your woman communicated that to me." Yasir sat down in a chair and rolled over to him without a hint of concern. "Using DNA, it was not difficult to determine which of you and your brothers the father was."

The turtle took a deep breath to force control into his voice. "Yasir, listen. You can experiment away with me, but leave them out of it. Let them be, and I'll cooperate with you. I'll be reasonable and well behaved."

"I am sure you will be," Yasir said decisively. "Because now you know their lives depend on it."

Donny shuddered. "Let me see her. I want some guarantee that Jenna's alive."

"I am afraid that is not possible, terrapin. It is my experience that being near someone in her state would only upset you."

"_What_ state?"

"She proved hard to control," Yasir returned. "For the sake of her stress level and the adverse effect it could have on the fetuses, I designed a sedative—"

"NO, no, Yasir! Are you out of your mind? You're _going_ to kill the babies!"

"Do you honestly take me for a fool, Donatello?" The Overlord's tone was sharp. "You think I am incapable of devising a drug that could be safely implemented? I have studied and manipulated DNA for _centuries_."

"You don't know _us_!" Donatello shot back fiercely. "You may know DNA, but you don't understand the specific challenges that come along with our genes!"

"Then how was it that I brought you safely through your own procedure, Donatello? You forget where you are. My knowledge is so far beyond yours that even if we had a cooperative agreement, I would _always_ be your teacher."

"Oh, I bet I could teach you a _few _things," the turtle fumed. "If you weren't so scared of a fair fight, that is."

"Violent tendencies." Yasir shook his head.

"How is someone _supposed_ to react when you throw their entire life into upheaval? If you were treated this way, would you feel agreeable and friendly?"

"You have to accept some facts, Donatello. Your life is not your own anymore, but a part of something much bigger. Your influence will help shape our future as a race."

"Is it my _influence_ you're talking about, or my remains in a petri dish?"

"You are wrong about me, terrapin. I already said I do not want to kill you."

"No, but you probably will. As you've so clearly illustrated through past subjects, their welfare pales in comparison to _your_ mission."

"That is partially true, Donatello, but it is not so much my _mission_ that matters, as it is the elohims' need to continue improving. Races and creatures plateau over time. They stop growing, stop changing, and start to die. The Overlords will never be like them. If we are not advancing, then we are falling as victims to Nature. We are better than that. We have the tools to keep ascending, and it is _my_ job to make certain we stay on that path."

"At the expense of everyone else," Don pointed out.

"I am not personally responsible for the human race, the ducaz, or the Ruairi. I did not create them or shape their minds. I will not hesitate to take advantage of them for the greater good of my own people."

"What will you do with me and my brothers?"

"That is a complex question, Donatello, the answer to which I have not determined. I know what I hope to learn from studying you, but discovering how to eliminate the undesirable traits while leaving the rest intact is going to be part of the process."

"Where are my brothers?"

"One of them is close by; as for the other two, I cannot say."

Donny's eye-ridges rose. "Why can't you?"

"I would love to answer you honestly, terrapin, but it will require information in return."

Don stared at the alien suspiciously. "I don't think so."

"I thought not. Perhaps later, when you are more desperate to learn about their fates."

The turtle exhaled as he clenched his fists. "You're going to regret this."

"I have heard those words before," Yasir told him. "As for the moment, I think I will let you rest…that is, unless you are willing to answer _one_ question."

Donatello glared at him. "Don't get your hopes up."

"What was your memory trigger?"

"Which one of my brothers are you about to pair me up with?" Donatello countered.

"The blue-eyed one. He already had some adventures of his own."

_Mikey. He'd better be okay._

"Your turn," the alien said pointedly.

"It was the fight with Barak," he answered. "When he pinpointed my knee, it took me right back. You don't forget that kind of pain."

"No, I do not imagine you can. So we inadvertently triggered your memories for you?"

"Yes, and created a lovely new one," Donatello said sarcastically.

Yasir rose from his chair slowly. "I do hope we can resume a respectful dialogue, Donatello."

"Says the man who had me restrained to a table."

"Circumstances could be far more pleasant for your woman _and_ your brothers if you were to be amicable with me."

"I'd like to believe that, but for _some_ reason I can't trust you."

The elohim smiled. "Yes, well…I have found that time usually has one of two effects on a captive. They may grow more bitter and disillusioned. But they also mellow, and become more congenial as a necessity. I hope that you fall in the latter category."

The turtle sighed heavily. "You bad guys and your monologues kill me." He smirked at the way Yasir's brow creased in confusion. "What, you think you're the first person to ever take a stab at us, Yasir?"

"You are curious creatures, terrapin; that is all I can say. Get some sleep. We will move you somewhere more comfortable later, but for now, I mean to keep you under watchful eye."

"How do you expect me to sleep with a whack-job standing over my shoulder?"

"I _could_ assist you with the matter," Yasir said threateningly.

Donny swallowed again. "I would appreciate it if you kept your drugs out of this."

"Then you had better remember who you are talking to, Donatello."

Don's heart skipped a beat when the elohim leaned over him with a dangerous glint in his unnatural blue-violet eyes. _I think I liked him more when he was just erasing my memory. Now he expects me to open up like we're best friends. I don't know where to go from here._


	36. Baggage

Raphael felt intimidated as he gazed at the massive stonework of the building which was simply called "Central", though he refused to admit it out loud. The structure stretched high above the ground, but according to the elohim, the vital workings of Central were located beneath the surface of the earth.

It was close to 2am, and they'd been camped near the building in their "camouflage" vehicle for almost an hour, waiting for the communications disruption that would kick off the entire raid. He glanced at Leonardo, noting that his brother hadn't said anything for quite a while. It felt different to have someone else running the show, and the red-masked turtle didn't like it.

Leo reached out to tap his arm. "It's going to be all right, Raph. At least we know they've thought this through."

"Yeah, and it only took 'em five _days_. If we always waited that long to act, a lot of people would be dead before we got to them," Raphael muttered. _But that ain't true of our bros. It can't be. Yasir wants them alive so he can do stuff with them. _He sighed softly._ Like that's supposed to make me feel better._

Raphael felt someone else's eyes, and turned his head to see Ezra. The human wasn't accompanying them inside Central, but he could read the man's nerves loud and clear.

Ezra was silent for a couple more seconds before venturing to speak. "Be careful in there."

Raphael snorted. "Leo and I gotta be the most experienced break-in artists of the bunch – not that it means anything to you or your buddies."

"I wish you would give me another chance, turtle."

"Now ain't the time for this talk, Ezra. If we get out of _this_ mess intact, then I'll think about it," he said dismissively.

Raphael broke away from the Irishman, and turned to watch Achaz. The Ruairi was hovering by the hatch, as if he _knew_ something was about to happen. He folded his arms impatiently while the alien stood poised, but another three minutes passed before the panel was suddenly released.

"Our clock has started," Bahri called through the opening. "We must move quickly!"

Raphael hesitated with his brother until the Ruairi had descended into the back of the craft. He glanced around suspiciously before climbing down to the ground.

The neighborhood felt quiet, bearing no evidence to anyone being on guard in the area. The two turtles stuck to the back of the group as they started moving, wearing nothing more than the cloaks they'd been using for warmth. _It wouldn't matter how they dressed us up, we'd _still_ stand out. We don't look like anyone from around here: shorter than the elohim and the Ruairi, broader than the ducaz. Even on an alien planet we're still the freaks. _

"I kind of thought we might hear something from their disturbance," he remarked to Leo.

His brother shook his head. "The tactical weapon was set off several miles away from the city. It has the effect of setting up a chain reaction."

Raphael nodded slowly. "I guess we have to trust they know what the shell they're doing then, huh?"

The blue-masked turtle rolled his eyes. "God knows they can't trust _us_ for anything."

"It's okay, Fearless; I'll listen to you over any of them."

Leonardo sighed. "We _should_ be listening to them, Raph," he said apologetically. "I just don't appreciate feeling like baggage."

"If there's one thing we ain't, Leo, it's dead weight dragging them down. They're gonna figure that out soon, Bro."

"All that matters is getting to our brothers," Leonardo said firmly. "Let's keep our mouths shut and do what we've come for."

Raphael took a sharp breath as he noticed Bahri pause in front of a hatch around the right side of the building. Before the elohim made a move, the panel hissed open of its own accord. The red-masked turtle stiffened as another alien emerged from the opening, but relaxed when the elohim bowed his head toward Bahri.

The two aliens exchanged a few quiet words, and then the stranger stepped aside to let them through. While waiting to get inside, Raphael exchanged another mute look with Leonardo.

Leo offered him a smile and held out his fist. "We're still in this together, Raph."

He bumped his fist in return. "True that, Leo. Let's hope these punks don't weigh _us_ down."

They silently filed into the building after the others. Even as the hatch closed behind them, Raphael felt conspicuous. _Six Ruairi, two turtles, and two defected elohim. That's way too many people to be running together on a secret raid._

Raphael didn't mention his reservations, instead reaching for the dirk that Leonardo had given him to carry. It wasn't the weapon he _wanted_ in hand, but it was better than nothing. His pulse was beginning to race, and he fought to breathe more quietly.

The red-masked turtle glanced over his shoulder warily, but the elohim who'd admitted them into Central wasn't moving. The alien was standing by the door where they'd left him, like he was waiting for something else. _This has got to be one of the creepiest things we've ever done, and that's saying a lot._

Raphael picked up speed with the rest of the group, but he couldn't resist the temptation to continue looking back. On the surface everything appeared calm, as it probably did on every other normal night-shift. _Maybe there _won't_ be any panic over their communications going down for a little while. I mean, what's the harm, right? Few minutes, a little more than an hour, and they'll be back online. They don't know what caused the disruption or that we're here now. We just can't let the wrong person see us or—_

A softened _thud _came from around a blind corner, and he instantly drew his green-handled dirk. He kept pace with Leonardo while his brother rushed to the other side. Raphael caught his breath when he saw an unconscious Overlord being lifted between two Ruairi.

"It is all right," Bahri said quietly. "I expected that we would run into a number of normal sentries. He is only temporarily incapacitated."

"And what are you gonna do with him?" Raphael hissed. "You can't leave him here, or someone else could find him. They _can _still set off an alarm, can't them?"

Bahri nodded. "Yes – you can see they still have power. Only their communications is down, which also hinders their surveillance abilities. Let us move this one out of sight, and then we should continue. We cannot afford to linger."

When the trek resumed the Ruairi seemed to be moving faster, and Raphael saw Leonardo wince.

"They're so _loud_," the blue-masked turtle complained softly. "I feel like I'm following a herd of elephants."

"You wanna ditch them, Leo?"

Leonardo actually smiled. "If only."

Raphael smirked at the aliens' backs. _All the technology in the world doesn't make these guys better than us. _

He jolted when he saw another Overlord up ahead, but Bahri and Ghyath surged forward to meet this one. The new arrival spurred a change in direction that Raphael didn't understand, but he _was_ just along for the ride.

The light blue hallways turned into a maze as the mini tour progressed, carrying them further off the track they'd been following. The unfamiliar elohim at the head of the pack inexplicably stopped at one point, and appeared to be searching for something.

Raphael felt like asking questions, but kept quiet while the stranger ran his fingers over the solid surface of the wall. After a few seconds Bahri began seeking in the same manner, apparently trying to help his comrade find the invisible object that eluded him. Ghyath exclaimed something in their own tongue and went to assist them too.

_How many Overlords does it take to open a door? Let's find out._

Ghyath said something a little louder, but Raphael couldn't tell what was happening with the three elohim in the way. Not until Bahri and Ghyath stepped to the side did he see an open instrument panel. Their odd "guide" was typing something over the keys in a rapid pattern.

When the hatch hissed open, a five-foot section of the wall suddenly disappeared with it. The turtles stood back for a minute to survey the new development while the elohim immediately went into the small room.

"It is a transporter," Achaz informed them.

"Come!" Bahri urged. "We must get below the surface. They are waiting for us."

"Who's waiting for us?" Leo asked coolly.

"I will explain, but first please get on," the elohim returned.

After the door closed behind the entire group, Bahri worked his way over to the turtles.

"The captives we seek are separated by some distance, and a couple of my contacts have suggested splitting up to go after them. I agree it would be a beneficial course of action. It would both save us time and enable us to move more quietly with smaller teams."

"My brother and I don't have a problem with moving quietly," Leonardo clipped. "Is splitting up the best thing for us to be doing? In our experience, it often leads to trouble."

"That may be, Leonardo, but we are under tight time constraints. If we want to recover all of our targets to divide is to conquer. Is that not what earthlings say?"

"Close, but no cigar," Raphael muttered. "I don't like the idea either."

"You do not _need_ to like it," Achaz said dryly. "This is the fastest way to complete our mission."

"Leo?" Raphael said questioningly.

The blue-masked turtle had his "thinking" look. "We _are_ posing a greater risk of being caught by sticking together. If we—"

Leonardo cut off as the transporter started descending faster than either turtle were prepared for, and they urched to keep their balance.

"So if we split up, how's it gonna work?" Raphael was irritated. He _hated_ feeling like his hand was being forced.

"Three captives, three teams," Bahri replied.

Leonardo nodded. "I guess…you and I should separate, Raph."

"Lajos and Akeem will also accompany one of the groups, and the rest of the Ruairi can come with me," Achaz determined.

"How do we know where we're going?" Raphael demanded.

"Help is waiting," Bahri reminded him.

Raphael felt an almost imperceptible shift in their acceleration, and looked over at the display listing their level. They'd barely come to a complete step when the doors released, and two more elohim were blocking their path. He drew his dirk with a flash, but the aliens merely nodded instead of reaching for weapons.

Raphael exhaled as he released the death-grip of his blade. _Not being able to tell the difference between friendlies and enemies is hard on the nerves._

When one of them began to say something in their tongue, Raphael threw up a hand to stop him. "Can we get some English? Not everyone here speaks your stupid language."

"We need to separate," the speaker continued. "We each have certain targets in mind, and we will lead you to them."

The guide which led them to the elevator stepped off into the hallway. "I can take you to the Ruairi hostage."

"Let's _do_ this then and stop talking about it," Raphael said sharply.

Leonardo reached for his shoulder as the members separated with respective elohim. "Hey. Keep it together, okay? It'd be nice if _all_ of us could get out of this."

"I'm cool, Leo," Raphael insisted.

Ghyath came up on his right side and Akeem crowded in behind him. The golden-eyed elohim held up a device which looked no larger than a lighter.

"We will be in touch," Ghyath told those standing with Leonardo, and looked at Raphael. "Come, let us go. Khalil is going to take us to one of your brothers."

Raphael hardly had time to give Leonardo a parting glance before Ghyath began following their "guide". The red-masked turtle hurried to get beside the elohim.

"How can you communicate if everything is down?" he asked.

"This link operates on a lower frequency and has a limited range," Ghyath explained. "It will be enough."

"I hope so," Raphael said under his breath.

The other elohim looked over his shoulder at him, and his vivid green eyes caught Raphael off guard. "Your brother is not far from here," Khalil volunteered. "We must take a moment to meet someone else first."

"What for?" the turtle wanted to know.

"Shukri has supplies and information you will need," Khalil answered.

The sterile white hallways were even more dizzying than the floors above them were, and Raphael sensed a headache coming on over the complicated maze. _I'm sure glad they know where they're going._

Khalil stopped with a jolt and looked up and down the corridor as if confused.

"You're not lost, are ya?" Raphael spoke up.

"No, terrapin, he was supposed to b-" the guide trailed off when a figure emerged from an open doorway, then smiled. "How did you get rid of the sentries, Shukri?"

The new one smiled in return. "They are sleeping off the last of the extract I gave them two hours ago." His face grew serious as he surveyed the rest of the group. "Do you know how to handle the infusion, Ghyath?"

"Bahri will know," Ghyath replied.

"What are you talking about?" Raphael asked.

"Your brother has been under heavy sedation," Shukri explained. "I was supposed to continue administering the drug, but he has not received it for several hours now. I am sending an antidote along with you that should help purge what remains in his system."

"What did you punks DO with my brother?" Raphael's voice immediately rose.

The elohim shuddered under Raphael's glare. "He is not injured and his mind is intact," Shukri assured him. "Have Bahri use the cleanser, and he should be fine."

"He'd _better_ be," the turtle said threateningly. "Where is he?"

"Follow me." Shukri stepped across the hall, and entered the manual override on another panel.

A previously hidden window and entrance came into view, and Raphael shoved his way past the elohim to see his youngest brother face down on a cot. When the panel opened, the others were wise enough to let him go forward alone.

Raphael darted into the small space and knelt swiftly beside Michelangelo. "Mikey?" he said softly, patting his brother's face.

"He has grown very distant," Shukri told him from the door. "He will likely not be aware of you or anything else. Administer the antidote, and he will come around."

Raphael supported his brother's head as Mike opened unseeing blue eyes. Anxiety immediately struck him like a lightning bolt, but Michelangelo was here in one piece. He couldn't ask for more than that at the moment.

He lifted Mike in his arms, scowling when Ghyath came to help him. "Ain't no one else touching him yet. Just figure out where we're going next so we can get the shell out of here."


	37. Deception

Leonardo was partially relieved when the large group broke down, but also extremely irritated. _I'm positive they planned it this way from the start. Would it have killed the elohim to say something about it? I know this is their world and we can't operate the same way we would at home, but that doesn't mean they should be holding important things back. As it is, we're lucky Raph didn't put up a bigger fight over separating._

The blue-masked turtle caught Lajos looking at him over his shoulder. "Something wrong?"

"No, terrapin, I was only making sure you were there. You move so quietly, I would not have known it by listening," the Ruairi replied.

Leo refrained from rolling his eyes. "We're _ninja_, Lajos. If you can hear us, we're not doing our job."

The alien looked perplexed, and quickly turned his attention forward. In the minutes that followed Leonardo noticed the Ruairi at least seemed to be _trying_ to move silently. _That's a start._

Leonardo returned his focus to listening, straining to pick up all the sounds that surrounded them. The background hum of something electrical laid the foundation, but several more quiet sounds were layered over top. The turtle worked to shut out the noises he'd already identified in favor of recognizing anything else that would mean danger.

The soft hiss of a door being released a couple of yards away drew Leo's attention a second before it opened, and he automatically jerked to a stop. Three Overlords marched out, and by the manner in which they reacted to their presence, Leonardo could tell that they were no friends of Bahri's.

One of the strangers drew a rifle in a flash and spoke a couple of unintelligible syllables. Before the alien finished whatever he'd been trying to say, Leonardo surged past Lajos and laid the Overlord out with a flying jump kick. He spun without giving the shocked sentries had an opportunity to react, throwing a lunge punch that sent a second Overlord toppling into the opposite wall.

The third had his rifle raised before Leonardo got a hand on him. "Desist, terrapin, or I will end this _for_ you."

The turtle stared at him placidly, evaluating the elohim's stance. He recognized the alien's unwillingness to kill him, and rapidly decided to take his chances. He sent a sweeping blow to the Overlord's legs, knocking him off balance. Leo snatched the rifle out of his hands as he stumbled, and whipped it like a club across the back of his assailant's head.

Leonardo straightened upright and found his companion staring at him. "Are we going to take care of them?" He motioned to the downed figures.

"You already did, Leonardo." Lajos shook his head. "You could have saved one for me."

"Sorry, I don't 'save' bad guys. Try reacting a little quicker next time," he replied.

"It is small wonder the Elite called you 'Aeolus,'" Bahri remarked as he dragged one of the sentries back through the open door.

"Why do you say that?" Leonardo asked.

"Because you are faster than anything I have ever seen."

"My brothers and I've had a lot of training and practice carrying this out, Bahri. You may come to find that I have something to offer on a mission."

"Do you think that I doubt that, Leonardo?"

The blue-masked turtle shrugged. "It's hard to tell sometimes. Are we going to keep going?"

Their guide, Kenric, nodded. "Yes – we should. Your brother is close."

His words made Leonardo abandon the rear of the group. "Who is it? Do you know?"

"He is the one from the Matches," Kenric answered.

Leo exhaled sharply. "Do you know anything about his condition?"

The elohim shook his head. "He was only released to the containment cell from the Lab earlier this afternoon. Yasir likes to keep information to himself."

"That seems to be a theme where elohim are concerned," the turtle muttered.

"I am sorry?" Kenric sounded confused.

"Nothing. Lead the way please." Leonardo resolved not to say anything else along those lines, at least not until they'd escaped.

As he followed behind their guide, he gave Bahri a sidelong glance, trying to read the elohim's state of mind. His blue eyes never connected with Leonardo, staring straight ahead. The only thing that Leo could discern was the anxiety the alien was barely holding in check.

_There are plenty of reasons for Bahri to be nervous, but I wish I wasn't with a bunch of unpredictable strangers right now. There's no telling what they'll do or how they'll react to any given situation. _He groaned inwardly. _And there's still the question of where we go from here to find the others. But one impossible mission at a time._

Leonardo noticed Kenric slowing down, and braced himself. He couldn't see anything significant about where they'd stopped, except for the slightly reflective material of the opposite side of the wall. While he watched Kenric brushed the surface to reveal a keypad.

The elohim worked his way through three stages of codes, and with the last combination the reflective surface shifted to reveal the containment unit. In the dim light Leonardo saw the outline of his brother lying on his side, and his heart leaped.

"Maybe I should go first," Leo suggested. "He doesn't know about any of you, and I can prepare him. He may not even know _me_."

Kenric nodded, and punched another button to get the hatch open. When the door released, Leonardo saw his brother immediately tense up, though Donatello was facing the wall.

"Don?" He barely breathed the word.

Donny rolled over so fast it started him. Leonardo was ready to witness another "breaking" of the memory barrier, but instead his brother leaped to his feet with an agility that made the blue-masked turtle gasp.

"_Leo...?" _The younger turtle's voice was tinged with awe.

Leonardo recovered sufficiently to embrace his brother fiercely. He had an extremely hard time separating from Don's grasp, but he didn't feel the freedom to delay.

"How did you...what did...I don't…You're here. How are you _here_?" Donatello babbled.

"I've got a few questions for you too, but they're going to have to wait." Leonardo held him at arm's length, searching for the damage. "How are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," he returned instantly. "But we _won't_ be if we don't get out of here! Dare I ask how you got _in_?"

"I had some help…or a lot of help. You're going to have to trust me, Don." He extended an arm around him again before showing him through the door.

Donatello froze the moment he saw the elohim, and Leo spoke up to reassure him.

"It's okay, Bro; they're friends."

"But…" Don hesitated, his eyes traveling to Lajos. "Wait. You're _Ruairi_."

Lajos nodded. "Yes…and we have probably stayed here long enough," he finished warily.

The team started moving at once, and Leonardo found himself watching Donatello like a hawk. He was confused by his brother's apparent lack of injuries, but not disappointed.

"Leo, Mike is here too!" Donny informed him. "I haven't seen him, but Yasir said—"

"We know, Don," Leo cut him off gently. "Our team broke up into three parts to hunt down different captives. Raph's group went after Mike, and the Ruairi have their own hostage to rescue."

"The older one?" Donny asked. "We've met. The Overlords wanted me to kill him in a Death Match, but I wouldn't do it."

"That was wise, terrapin," Lajos told him.

"_Donatello_," he corrected. "I've had enough of being called 'terrapin' to last me for the rest of my life. What's our next move?"

"We need to meet back up with the other teams and make a hasty exit," Bahri volunteered.

"Hold on," Donny said suddenly. "Leo, I think Jenna is somewhere close by…I'm almost sure of it. Yasir has been doing things with her and the babies!"

"Babies?" Leonardo repeated the word as if it was foreign.

"She's carrying _twins_, Leo, and that psycho wants to get his hands on them! We can't leave her behind!"

Kenric shook his head. "I am sorry, Donatello. We are under an extremely tight time frame—"

"I wasn't talking to you," Don interrupted. "You guys can do whatever you want, but _I'm_ going to find my wife."

Leonardo swallowed at the added task, but couldn't disagree with the course of action. "I'm with you, Don. We'll find her."

"Hear me, terrapins," Kenric insisted. "We have neither the time nor the opportunity to retrieve her! Breaking into the medical ward when we are not prepared for it—"

"The medical ward?" Donny inserted. "Are you saying you _know_ where she is?"

Leonardo swiftly looked at Bahri and saw guilt etched clearly in the elohim's eyes. "You _knew_," he asserted. "This whole time? You knew she was down here, and you weren't going to _say_ anything?"

"Leonardo, it is not that simple," Bahri countered.

"The shell it isn't!" Donatello retorted. "I'm not leaving without her!"

"We do not have the codes we need, and the medical ward is far too populated. We could not move through that section without you and your brother being seen."

"I am NOT leaving without her!" Donny repeated more loudly.

Leonardo's glare seared through Bahri. "I can't believe you did this, you back-stabbing—"

The sound of a high tone interrupted Leo mid-rant. He'd never heard one of the Overlords' alarms before, but it wasn't hard to identify. Someone had been discovered.

Bahri scrambled for his small communicator, covering one ear with his free hand as he contacted another member of the group. When he engaged in rapid-fire conversation in his language, Leonardo caught him by the arm forcefully.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"Ghyath does not know where the alarm originated from! He is going to try and contact Achaz. We need to move at _once_!"

"Do they know _we're_ here?" Leonardo persisted.

"They may not know of us, but they know _someone_ is here. The Overlords will lock down the entire building, and the containment units are the first place they will check! We must get away from here!"

When Leonardo looked for his brother, he saw Donny backing away from Kenric.

"I _can't_ leave her. I can't abandon Jenna to Yasir!"

"Donatello, you must listen to reason. We are in grave danger of discovery. Every second that we linger could mean our demise!"

"Then _go_, but I'm not—"

A sudden flash startled Leonardo and his eyes widened as he saw the younger turtle slump forward. He rushed over while Kenric caught Donatello, torn between first throttling the elohim or making sure that his brother was all right.

"What did you _do_?" Leonardo's voice soared.

"Peace! Peace, terrapin, I only stunned him! It is temporary!"

"How would you like to be stunned by my _fist_?"

"Leonardo, please!" Bahri urged. "If we are trapped here, any hope of rescue will be small!"

The blue-masked turtle burned inwardly as he looked between both elohim. "You bastards. I trusted you!"

"He did not hurt him, Leonardo – there is not time to argue over this," Bahri replied.

"You deceived us!" Leo shot back.

"Terrapin, this is _not_ the time!" Lajos verily shouted.

The outside voice had the affect of bringing Leonardo closer to his senses. He clenched his teeth angrily while he turned to Kenric. "Give me my brother."

The elohim released Donatello to his arms, and Leo looked at Bahri. "What are we doing? What's our escape route?"

"I was trying to find out when you interrupted me from the link. I will call Ghyath back once we are in motion."

Fury had to take a backseat to adrenaline so that Leonardo could focus on the task at hand. Kenric went ahead of them as they now _ran_ with all haste to get away from the wing. Their guide didn't lead them back the same direction they'd come, but weaved a different pattern that made Leo feel a little dizzy.

By the time Kenric connected them to another transporter, Bahri had successfully raised Ghyath. After listening to their garbled language for over a minute, the turtle grabbed the elohim's tunic sleeve.

"What's the situation?"

"The Ruairi are out of the building! Ghyath spoke with our pilot, and he said that the ground floor is already crawling with sentries!"

"So we can't get to our vehicle," Leonardo allowed. "But there must be another way out."

"I am thinking, Leonardo! I am considering every door I can remember, but all of the exits are probably going to be covered soon!"

"Right, but we knocked out their communications and their 'all-seeing' eyes. It's going to take them longer to organize than it would have." As Leonardo tried to calmly assess their circumstances, a memory of bright lights in the sky popped into his mind from earlier that evening. _There were crafts taking off right from the building…_

"Bahri, if we can't walk out of here, why not fly? Could we steal a ship?" Leonardo asked.

"It would be risky—"

"Everything is a risk! That's why we call these jobs impossible! Can you or Ghyath fly one?"

"Yes, we can, but—"

"Then get Ghyath back on the link, and make sure their team is headed the right direction! If we're going to have a shot of pulling this off, we've got to move on it immediately. It's possible the authorities don't even know what's going on inside the building yet."

"All right, Leonardo!" Bahri agreed finally, and brought the link back up to his mouth.

The blue-masked turtle shifted Donatello in his arms as the transporter started moving, fighting off another wave of rage. _I let them run the show, and look where it got us. I trusted their sincerity too much, and they took advantage of it. They knew about Jen the whole time, and they ignored her! I don't know how I'll face Don when he wakes up, but I can't think about it yet. Escape first, and everything else goes back on the "to do" list. Bahri _will _answer to me for this._


	38. Launch Strip

Raphael sensed the uneasiness of his companions like electricity in the air. The red-masked turtle scowled at the Ruairi and the two elohim. "If you guys wanna bolt, be my guest. _I'm_ waiting for the others."

"Would it not serve both your preservation and your brother's for us to start moving again?" Akeem suggested.

"If you wanna take care of yourself, Ruairi, then do it," the turtle replied shortly.

"You do not know what the Overlords will do if they catch me," Akeem said defensively. "The elohim hate the Ruairi, and do not hesitate to make it known to their prisoners."

"And what do you think they'd do with me?" Raphael snorted. "Can you say 'dissection?'"He glanced down at his youngest brother who seemed to be asleep with his eyes open and then shot Akeem another look. "But I'm still gonna stay here and wait for my other brothers – period."

"But do you not see—" Akeem started.

"Stop trying to argue with him," Ghyath ordered. "Be silent. We need to pay attention. Enemies could be anywhere. Bahri said they were coming, and I have faith in _my_ 'brother' too."

Raphael gave the elohim a half smile for backing him up, and resumed staring at the transporter the other team was supposed to be using. _Shell, what I want to know is how the Ruairi got out with _their_ guy so fast. They must have broken some speed rescue record or something._

Every creak and sound of the building made Raphael feel more paranoid. He stayed within range of his prone brother, so that even if something erupted, he would be able to protect him. His heart rate felt like it was increasing with passing minutes, but his resolve was undeterred.

_Maybe these Ruairi can run without looking back, but I can't, _he thought darkly. _I wouldn't be surprised if _they _were the ones to set off the alarm to begin with. We shouldn't have let those punks out of our sight._

Raphael fell into a "ready" stance when the doors to the transporter slid open, and drew his dirk just in case the figures were enemies. He didn't release the breath he'd been holding until he saw Bahri emerging, followed immediately by his older brother. The sight of Leonardo carrying Donatello was a distressing one.

"How is he, Leo? What's wrong with him?"

"He's all right," the blue-masked turtle said tightly. "From what I can tell, he isn't seriously hurt."

"Then why's he out, Fearless?"

"That story has to wait," Leonardo hissed, but Raphael didn't miss the angry look his brother gave Bahri. Leo took a deep breath and glanced back at him. "How's Mike?"

"I think he'll be okay too, at least, that's what they said."

Leonardo bent down to their youngest brother, his brow creasing over Michelangelo's strange condition.

"They were drugging him, Leo. The Chucklehead is in there, and we'll get him out one way or another."

"First we have to get out of _here_," Leonardo said pointedly.

"I second that," Ghyath added swiftly. "Bahri, send the transporter back down, but first set it to make a few random stops on other levels. We need to find ourselves another to take us to the upper deck."

"Why don't we just use _that_ one?" Raphael pointed to the perfectly good transporter.

"The point is to confuse those who are trying to find us, Raphael," Ghyath replied. "To force them to scatter in all directions, because they do not know where we actually are.

"It's a good thought." Leo nodded appreciatively at Ghyath.

Khalil raised a hand in the air. "I just spoke with one of our own inside the communications networks. He managed to create a small delay with the reboot to gain us a little more time. We need to make good use of it!"

Ghyath threw his shoulders back and his features hardened. "We move _now_."

The guides took their place at the front of the group to show them through another level that appeared to have an industrial use. The grey walls were set off by glowing numbers and characters that appeared luminous in the low overhead lighting.

"What's up with this place?" Raphael directed toward Bahri, since Ghyath seemed to be taking the larger role of leading.

"Every level of Central has a different purpose; no two are the same," Bahri told him. "Whatever you do, do not touch the walls." The elohim raised his voice for the benefit of everyone else. "If any of the numerals are accidentally activated, it could alert those who are seeking us to our position."

"What kind of ships do they keep around here?" Leonardo was already thinking ahead.

"There will be several options, but the Interceptors are the fastest," Ghyath answered. "They may be exactly what we need."

"I don't understand what happened to the other Ruairi," Raphael said bluntly. "Where are they?"

"I only spoke with Achaz briefly," Ghyath said. "He told me that they had no choice except to flee the building. I do not know what mode of vehicle they are using, but they could not return to our original pilot either."

"I hope they know what they're doing," Raphael muttered. "I wish I knew what _we're_ doing."

Khalil stopped at the head of the team, and opened another transporter hatch. "You dare not waste any time," he said. "If the plan is to take a ship, then I say steal and it and begone before what luck we have left runs out."

The transporter shot up through the building, sending a familiar weightless sensation through Raphael's stomach. He glanced at Mike, but saw no reaction in his youngest brother's face. _He would probably love these things if he really knew what was going on. _He looked back at Leonardo, who had such a tight grip on Donatello that it seemed he believed someone was going to steal him.

When the panel opened on the chosen level, Raphael detected rapid footsteps on the other side. From the way Akeem stiffened, it was obvious the Ruairi heard them too. Without a word, the alien shoved past Khalil to get out into the hall.

"Ruairi, wait—" Ghyath didn't have time to finish the statement before a laser blast rang out.

Raphael swore when he heard someone fall, and hurriedly passed Michelangelo off to Bahri.

"Terrapin, if you—"

The red-masked turtle didn't let Ghyath complete the sentence either, somersaulting low across the hallway to avoid laser-fire. He drew his dirk as he gained his feet, and the weapon shot from his hand like lightning, striking his attacker between the eyes.

Raphael looked right and left without seeing anyone else, but he was certain he heard more footsteps close by. "You guys, we gotta get outta here; we gotta get out!" He dashed to the fallen Overlord to retrieve his dirk, and saw Lajos bending over his fallen comrade.

"He is dead," the Ruairi said flatly.

"They're playing for keeps," Leonardo declared. "Show us where to go, quickly!"

Khalil needed no further encouragement. Raphael opted to allow Bahri to continue handling Mike so that he would have his hands free, despite his protective instincts over his brother. Leonardo still didn't seem inclined to part with Donny, and his face was a mask of barely contained emotions.

Khalil led them in the opposite direction of the approaching figures, making two quick turns before heading straight for a door like it had been his goal all along. The adjoining room was pitch-black at once, but as soon as they spilled inside the space, low lighting instantly responded.

The enormous room looked like a graveyard for every piece of technology the elohim must had ever abandoned. There were so many remnants and pieces of machines that he nearly smiled as he considered what Donny might have thought of it. Dust hung in the air and coated every visible surface.

"Guess they don't use this place much," he murmured to Leo.

Khalil left the room in its dim state, not daring to turn on any more lights. "Follow me," he urged.

Raphael was mystified by what the room had to do with the air ships, but had to trust that the elohim knew what they were doing. Khalil led them silently through the space which felt cavernous, even though it was full of contraptions. They came to a length of narrow metal stairs, and climbed quietly in a line to get to the second level.

At the top, the red-masked turtle saw Khalil having a discussion with Kenric and Ghyath over a key pad. He watched as Kenric tried a couple of variations that had no effect on the display, but on the third try the screen finally lit up. The elohim crossed through the open hatch, warning for absolute silence from everyone else.

Raphael was one of the last ones through with Leonardo, and felt coolness when he emerged into another massive room whose west end was completely open to the night air.

"This is one of the launch strips," Bahri whispered to the turtle. "Khalil thought this entrance would be abandoned, because the room has been ignored ever since—"

"The entrance may be abandoned, but the strip isn't," Leonardo cut him off, peering over a railing to the floor below. "Look."

Raphael really didn't want to, but curiosity forced him to crouch down by the railing so he could see further below. The sight of at least fifteen sentries made his heart skip. He and Leonardo could probably handle a lot of them on their own, but the aliens were _armed_, and one wrong move could be the last someone ever made.

"_Shell_," he said softly. "How do we get through that, Fearless? How do we get out of here?"

The blue-masked turtle backed away from the railing and motioned for Raphael to follow him. "Ghyath," Leo called quietly. "What does it take to fly one of those Interceptors?"

The golden-eyed elohim shook his head. "The computer alone can do most of the flying if it needs to, but as far as escaping unseen…this is a problem, Leonardo. Even if we can get to a ship, there are too many that can chase us. We would easily be shot down."

Leonardo gazed in the direction of the launch strip, a familiar glint entering his eyes.

"I wanna hear it, Leo," Raphael said instantly.

"If they want to chase someone, I say we _give_ them something to chase."

"What do you mean?" Ghyath asked.

Leonardo folded his arms. "What's the best way to get them off _our_ tails, Ghyath?"

The alien's brow furrowed. "Are you suggesting a decoy? That…it might work. It might. But controlling an Interceptor by the computer would require certain technology."

Khalil pressed in closer to them from the fringe of the group. "Leave it to me. There is probably an older wireless unit intact inside the room behind me."

"Are you certain it will work without the crystal network?" Bahri asked.

"It has to," Khalil returned. "It was invented before the network was in use. This may take a little digging, but I will find it. Be safe, _janfryls_." (friends)

Khalil met Kenric a couple of feet away and both elohim went back into the room.

Bahri nodded their direction gratefully. "Khalil's father was a long-time leader and inventor, one of the top minds where it concerns the old technology. When the crystal network was erected a century ago, many of the old pieces were abandoned. But because the elohim are generally not hasty—"

"You didn't bother throwing any of it away," Leonardo filled in impatiently. "So let's say they pull this off and get the sentries to chase an Interceptor. What kind of ship are _we_ looking for?"

Ghyath exhaled. "The Interceptors are the fastest, but they also burn through energy cells quickly. There are a couple more options that would help us blend in, but they would not be the best choice to outrun something."

"How much time do we have before our clock runs out on communications?" Leo asked.

"Kenric said we have maybe another thirty minutes before the crystal network is engaged once more," Bahri answered.

"Is that enough time for them to work their magic?" Raphael hated to ask.

"Khalil will do it," Ghyath said confidently. "In the meantime, I think we should head below."

"Where all of the Overlords are?" Raphael was incredulous.

"We have to be prepared to react in an instant," Ghyath insisted. "We need to pick a ship – something from the reserves that would be more related to long distance travel than a mission."

"You don't think fast is the way to go?" Raphael persisted.

"I think it is more important to have something which will slip under the radar," Ghyath replied. "You want to see everyone escape, do you not?"

Leonardo cast another glance over the ledge at the Overlords who were congregating in the center of the room. "They look like they're waiting on orders. If we can _find_ something near the back of the room, I'd be willing to chance going down there. Are you able to stay in contact with Khalil?"

Ghyath nodded. "He has a link, and he will alert us when an Interceptor is ready to go."

Raphael's eye-ridges rose. "They're not coming with us, are they?"

"No," the elohim replied. "Their entire purpose is to make certain we escape."

The red-masked turtle swallowed at the news and glanced around for Lajos. The Ruairi hadn't said a word since discovering his dead comrade. "You okay?" He gave the alien a bleak look.

"Sometimes sacrifices are made," Lajos said numbly. "I do not know why Akeem panicked that way, but it is very unfortunate."

Raphael nodded. "I'm sorry.

The Ruairi shook his head. "It is not what I would have chosen, but right now we must focus on getting out."

Ghyath took the head of the group with Leonardo, who was still carrying Donatello. Raphael let Bahri and Lajos take the middle with Mike and the dead Ruairi, bringing up the rear with his dirk drawn for protection. His grip on the weapon only tightened as they quietly descended the back staircase, and laid eyes on a dozen non-descript ships that looked dark and cold in the shadows.

"I am sure one of these could serve us," Ghyath whispered. "We must choose and be ready to fly when the opportunity presents itself."

Raphael growled inwardly. _These elohim still don't get it. Sometimes you gotta _make_ an opportunity appear, whether it's there or not. Here's hoping that their guys upstairs are as good as they said they are._


	39. Clear

Leonardo tried to keep an open mind as Ghyath hustled them onboard an air ship that was larger than anything _he _would have chosen. On the inside he was livid with the elohim for hiding Jenna's location from them and making it impossible to retrieve the young woman, but outwardly he fought to remain as cool as he could. _At least Ghyath seems to have a strategic mind. He's a lot more prepared for this than Bahri has been, and I didn't expect that._

The blue-masked turtle felt dangerously exposed while they fanned out over the ship with the elohim sentries only about two hundred feet away. He kept the sensation to himself. _I don't want to give anyone a reason to feel more nervous than they already do._

Bahri reached for his arm, nearly touching the turtle before Leonardo's scathing glare warned him not to. "I…I think that we should take your brothers somewhere more comfortable to recover. There are a number of cabins in the back, and I need to start Michelangelo on an infusion."

"Start him on _what_?" Leonardo was instantly suspicious.

"A special formula that is designed to help eliminate Yasir's serum from his blood stream."

Leo's brown eyes narrowed. "I'm supposed to trust you to introduce _more_ drugs into his system?"

The elohim gave him a helpless look. "Do you think I came this far with you only to hurt your brother? I realize you are angry with me, but that does not mean that I am trying to harm him or anyone else."

The turtle held his gaze for several seconds. "If you hurt my brother, you won't see the light of another day. That's a promise."

Bahri nodded with a shudder. "I believe you, Leonardo. I am only trying to help."

"Like you _helped_ Donatello?" he suggested sarcastically.

"Leonardo, both of your brothers are going to be fine, I swear it."

Leo shook his head and closed his mouth. _If I don't walk away from him soon, I won't be able to._

Raphael edged in behind them as Bahri led the way through a dark narrow corridor to the back of the ship. The first cabin they approached was barely large enough to hold two beds. Bahri carried Michelangelo inside and carefully set the turtle down, then turned on a small light.

"It might be better for them to be in separate cabins," Bahri mentioned as Leonardo entered the room.

"No," Leo said shortly. "Mike and Don would _want_ to be together. What are you going to do right now?"

"I will begin setting up the infusion first. It is only a small pump through which—"

"I don't need the details." Leonardo set his other brother on the second bed and gave Raphael a pointed look, nodding toward the hall.

The red-masked turtle followed him as he exited, appearing mystified. "Leo, what is it?"

"I need you to keep an eye on Bahri and our brothers."

"Why do you say it like that? What's going _on_ with you?"

"I'll explain later; I can't deal with it at the moment. I'm going to find Ghyath."

"Uh…okay, Leo," Raphael said cautiously, and turned to go back into the cabin.

Leonardo took a calming breath and found his way up through the center of the shadowed ship. He saw Lajos seated in the main portion of the craft with a stoic expression. "Did Ghyath go up front?"

The alien nodded. "This is madness. Any moment those sentries could surround us. We could all be dead."

"They don't expect us to do something like this, Lajos," Leonardo tried to reassure him. "Sometimes the best laid plan is the one the enemy never sees coming. I'd rather not risk it either, but we weren't offered many options."

"That is what we get for working together with the elohim," Lajos replied. "My people escaped with the hostage, and _we_ are left behind with creatures who are predictably slow to react."

"It's not over, Lajos; don't write off escaping. I'm going to talk to Ghyath."

Leonardo briskly strode between rows of seats toward the front of the ship. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the elohims' version of a cockpit. The turtle had spent enough time in the family owned Gulfstream jet at home to give him an idea of what to expect, but the complexity still amazed him.

He gazed at the large windows that covered a large portion of the surface area, and fear of being seen renewed in his mind. Ghyath was sitting in the dark with his link in hand, but he didn't appear to have done anything with the controls of the ship.

Leo took another step into the cockpit. "Are we just waiting now?"

"That is all we _can_ do, Leonardo. If I start to power up the ship, we are going to receive unwanted attention."

"How long will it take to get off the ground?"

"If the energy cells are fully charged, I can have us off the launch strip in a few seconds after ignition."

"You don't _know_ if the ship has power?"

"It is impossible to tell without activating the craft, since the crystals are still out of commission. Do not forget that we are doing everything manually."

"Yes, I remember," he said quietly. "We're going to be screwed if this doesn't work."

"We have to try _something_, Leonardo."

Leonardo looked at Ghyath out of the corner of his eye. "You and Bahri are flip-flopping on me tonight. I thought _he _was at the helm, but you're proving to be more apt for these conditions than he is."

The elohim shrugged. "Bahri is more of what you would call…technical in some aspects. He is a thinker."

"And you're the doer?"

"There is a time when haste is called for, terrapin, and in that moment I will not choose to think longer than an emergency allows."

Leonardo considered asking him if he'd known about Jenna too, but decided against it. _I don't need any reason to feel angrier than I already do._

"Would you like to have a seat, Leonardo?"

The blue-masked turtle snorted. "I hope you aren't looking for a co-pilot."

Ghyath's brow creased. "I do not expect you to understand the operating system."

"It's called 'sarcasm', Ghyath. Have any of you heard of it?"

The elohim cocked his head. "We do not engage in such words often."

"You might try broadening your horizons."

"I will keep that in mind, Leonardo." Ghyath suddenly shifted in his seat and looked down at his link. "This might be it, terrapin. Hold on for a moment."

Leonardo heard a few syllables translate over the link and sighed. _I'm going to learn some of their language if it kills me._

Something that sounded vaguely like a chuckle escaped Ghyath. "The remote is set. Watch this, Leonardo."

The turtle moved to the edge of the seat, inching closer to glass panels. Among the rows of small ships several yards in front of them, one of them suddenly roared to life. He held his breath as the craft rolled a few feet before lifting off the ground with ease.

The sentries immediately tried to fire upon the ship. The Interceptor sped off the launch strip without being fazed by rifle fire, and Leonardo was _sure_ Ghyath chuckled that time.

The turtle watched intently as sentries scrambled for ships, and in less than two minutes time, seven more of the Interceptors were out of the tunnel. The loud tone that _followed_ their departure, however, didn't make Leonardo feel like smiling.

"They are signaling their pursuit," Ghyath told him. "I am going to power up."

"Is it safe?"

"Better to go now, before more sentries arrive based off the alert. They believe they need to follow a single Interceptor. They will not be looking for _this_ ship, Leonardo. You might want to strap in. This craft is not as fast as the smaller kind, but we are still going to make good time."

Leo obeyed him, silently eyeing the displays that were coming to life around him while Ghyath sent a message to the rest of the ship that they were preparing to depart. The sheer number of screens overwhelmed the turtle, but Ghyath ignored most of them. The elohim focused on a single set of controls in front of him, as if it was the only thing that mattered.

Leonardo automatically grasped the sides of his seat while the ship rolled out of its position, and then lifted off the "hangar" floor.

"Brace yourself," Ghyath warned. "In three, two, _one_."

Leonardo was prepared for a jolt but the motion was smooth, more fluid than any sudden start he'd ever felt. The ship rapidly gained speed as it departed through the tunnel off the launch deck, ascending into the inky blackness of the night sky.

The turtle continued gripping the seat for dear life, even when the craft evened out into what he figured was a cruising altitude. Leonardo released a deep breath. "Wow. Can it be this simple?"

"We shall see," Ghyath answered. "I am going to keep our lights to a minimum to help avoid further notice while we are over Arcadia. Hopefully your diversionary tactic will be enough to confuse them."

"It's not really my tactic that got us out. I didn't do anything."

"It was your idea," the elohim reminded him.

"Will those elohim who helped us get caught?"

Ghyath blinked uncertainly. "I cannot say, Leonardo."

"Why would they risk their lives to help us? We're strangers. We don't belong here. I can't help feeling like there _has_ to be a real reason."

The alien didn't meet his eyes this time. "I think we need each _other_, terrapin."

"I don't understand what we have to offer you. We're not on your level of technology. We don't speak your language. What do you want from us, Ghyath?"

The elohim shook his head. "I cannot answer that, Leonardo; I am merely trying to keep up as things change rapidly around us. Bahri thinks that your coming here is significant."

"He's said that, but I still don't understand _why_."

"We will talk, Leonardo. This is perhaps not the time for that conversation."

Leo let go of his seat and crossed his arms. _Of course. I forgot that I'm talking to an elohim, the masters of hiding information and manipulating emotions. _Everything_ is going to have to be addressed, but I'm not picking a fight with him too. _He didn't say anything else as the ground sped away underneath them, and no longer looked in Ghyath's direction.

Not until he heard the elohim exhale shakily did Leo glance back at him. "What is it?"

"We are crossing into wilderness. By what I can tell, we were not followed."

"Is there any way to know for sure?"

Ghyath began to reach for his link, but then fingered his crystal instead. "Communications have been reinstated. I have a message waiting." The elohim turned the stone over in his hands, studying the glowing surface. "The decoy Interceptor is down, destroyed by pursuers. There is still pandemonium in Central, but no mention of looking for a ship like ours. It appears we have made a clean break."

"That's good news, Ghyath," Leonardo said coolly. "Are you going to contact the Ruairi?"

"That is my next step."

The turtle unbuckled. "I'm going to check on things in the back."

"I will let you know when I reach the others."

Leonardo slipped out of the cockpit, and nodded when he saw Lajos. "Ghyath thinks that we made a clean break of the Overlords. He's trying to reach your people."

Lajos exhaled. "Good. I am ready for this night to be over."

The turtle was about to say something else, but the thought fled from him the moment Bahri emerged into the main cabin. One glimpse of the elohim was enough to bring the rage he'd barely contained for the last hour to the surface.

With a bellow he launched at the alien, taking him down with a powerful blow to the rib cage. Leonardo pinned the elohim with his full weight, striking him twice across the face with his fist.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! _Fearless!_"

Raphael's voice resonated in his ears, and reminded the blue-masked turtle where he was. Still he hovered, poised to hit the cringing alien again.

"Did I MISS something?" his brother demanded.

Leonardo lowered his hand slowly, but didn't let Bahri get up. "Yeah, we missed _something_, Raph. Jen was down there in the bunker too, and the elohim _knew_ it. They knew it and they chose not to tell us!" He focused on Bahri furiously with the accusation.

"Leonardo, there was not time!" The elohim was breathless. "It was not possible—"

Leo's fury exploded in a backhand that whipped Bahri's head sideways with a resounding _crack_. "If you'd told us about her in advance we could have worked it out! But you were a _coward_, so three lives are still in mortal danger!"

"Three?" Raphael echoed.

"Jenna and the babies, Raph. She's carrying twins!"

Bahri swallowed nervously. "I wanted to focus on the tasks we could actually accomplish. I told you that we would not be able to save everyone at once."

"You _lied _to us." Raphael's tone lowered dangerously. "But we're not the ones you gotta be scared of, Bahri. Wait 'til Donny comes around. You're not gonna know what hit you."

"Leonardo, if you would listen to me, I can explain everything."

"You had your chance to be up front with us, Bahri. It's a little late now that we LOST the chance to save her!"

"I am _sorry_, Leonardo."

The blue-masked turtle shook his head. "Not good enough. Jenna is a member of this family. She's like a sister to all of us, and she's carrying precious cargo that took major medical intervention to pull off. This isn't something you can just apologize for, Bahri."

Leonardo stood, hauling the elohim partially off the floor. "If Mike doesn't snap out of it, you'll answer for _him_ too."

Bahri opened his mouth, but then hesitated to speak.

Leo growled angrily. He wanted to tear the alien apart, but he was probably still going to need him. It was the _only _reason that Bahri retained all of his teeth. He shoved the alien onto one of the seats and stalked out of the cabin, just to prevent temptation from taking over once more.

Raphael's hand landed on his shoulder as he pursued him. "Do you feel any better?"

"No. We missed _Jenna_, Raph!"

"We got our bros, Leo, and we'll get our friends back too."

Leonardo slammed his palm against the wall. "That doesn't help her right NOW!"

Raphael shook his head. "Shell, Leo. You're not allowed to trade places with me anymore."


	40. Brothers

Donatello exhaled softly as groggy thoughts rallied and he sensed he was waking up. He felt tired beyond measure, but opening his eyes couldn't be _that_ hard, could it? He blinked wearily, and waited for his blurry vision to catch up with him.

"Hey."

The unhappy yet familiar voice of his oldest brother made him immediately turn his head toward the sound. "Leo?" he murmured.

The blue-masked turtle crouched down to his level. "Yeah."

"Where are we?"

"On an air ship somewhere in the wilderness," Leonardo said matter-of-factly, as if there was nothing strange about it. "Raph and Mike are here too."

Donny rose a couple of inches at the news, not caring whether his equilibrium was ready for the motion. He took another breath at the sight of a somber-looking Raphael, and shuddered when he saw Michelangelo unmoving across from him. Emotion surged through his mind at the discovery of all his brothers together in one place, but there were far too many unanswered questions for him to erupt with joy.

"What's going on? Is Mike okay? What's happened to him? Is Jenna…" He didn't bother finishing the last question as Leonardo shook his head heavily.

"We couldn't reach her, Don. There wasn't enough time, and we weren't prepared. I misjudged how far we could trust our allies. I'm sorry," he finished softly.

Donatello braced a fist against his forehead and took a trembling breath to control rising tears. "It's not…this isn't your fault, Leo. None of it is. You didn't _ask_ to be kidnapped any more than the rest of us." His frame shook with exertion when he tried to sit up.

"Hold on," Leo advised him. "I don't think you should try that yet."

"What's wrong with Mikey? What are those?" Donny demanded of the tubes that were inserted into each of his younger brother's wrists.

"He's supposed to be okay," Leonardo said weakly. "The Overlords were drugging him with some kind of sedative Yasir designed—"

"I've heard all about Yasir and his drugs," Don cut in. "He's using them on _Jenna_, Leo! But what about Mike? What's he receiving now?"

The blue-masked turtle swallowed. "One of the elohim called it an antidote. It's supposed to help cleanse the serum from his system faster. Mike was awake when we first found him, but he wasn't aware of anything. He didn't go to sleep until after one of our allies started the new infusion."

"So…we're combatting elohim drugs with _more_ elohim drugs?"

"I know how it sounds, Don, but Mike needs help. I didn't know what to do except trust that Bahri is doing the right thing for him."

"Is that the _same_ elohim from the bunker who knew about Jenna and didn't bother telling you?"

Leo bit his lip before responding. "Yes."

"Well, he's got my vote of confidence," Donny said sarcastically.

His oldest brother grimaced. "If you need to blame someone, the fault is with me."

"I'm not blaming _you_," Don said quickly, shifting his gaze to take in Raphael. "I'm still in shock. I can hardly believe we're all here."

Raphael squeezed closer to the bed and bent down to wrap him in a crushing embrace. "It's good to see ya, Donny. Things may be messed up, but we're still glad to get you back."

Donatello sniffed as emotion wore him down and fiercely rubbed both eyes. "It's good to see you guys too. I feel like it's going to take a year to catch up. Maybe longer, considering we're not even _on_ our planet."

Raphael shook his head. "Bro, you're telling me. That Yasir guy, did he hurt you?"

Don hesitated. "Everything regarding him is confusing. Yasir is the best and the worst of both worlds. He wants all of us alive; he even fought for me when their leader wanted me executed. But the _only_ reason Yasir wants us around is because we serve some greater purpose for helping improve their race. He's definitely the type to be hands-on with his experiments."

"Did he put his hands on _you_?" Raph demanded.

"Yes, but…he didn't hurt me. At least, he hadn't yet. I was forced into a Match with an Overlord, though you couldn't call it a 'fight' per say—"

"Are you talking about their punishment round?" Leo interrupted. "We knew about it, but we couldn't stay to watch."

"You knew?"

"Found out a little too late to do anything. That was why I was surprised to find you in good condition, Don."

Donatello massaged his temple, noticing the soft material of his new mask for the first time. "Their thug _destroyed_ my knee. It was one of the most intense pains I've felt, but it also triggered my memory."

"He destroyed it?" Leonardo's gaze immediately fell onto his previously injured limb. "But you walked on it like it was nothing!"

"Yasir fixed it," Donny explained. "He said he removed the graft entirely and created new ligaments combined with a special alloy." The mixture of incredulous and suspicious looks he received from his brothers was almost amusing. "I had my doubts too, but I have full range of motion. I can bear weight on it, and the pain isn't very bad. Yasir said the implants are basically indestructible."

Leonardo didn't seem capable of accepting it. "He actually fixed your knee?"

Don shrugged. "That's what he _said_, Leo. I wasn't awake for the process, so I don't know what he really did. I don't remember anything between passing out in the ring, and waking up in his lab with a swollen knee. I expected the worst right away, but he told me differently. Even the thought of him having his hands on it still scares me, especially considering how he discarded Marc's work."

Donny's head sank backwards to his pillow while concern for his earthbound friends assailed him. _I can't imagine how they feel or what they're going through. I know they have to be trying to find us, but we're not _there_ to be found!_

Exhaustion threatened to follow its natural course the moment he gave in to lying down, but he was unwilling to relinquish control that quickly. "How are we going to get home, Leo? _How_ are we supposed to trust these aliens? They all have an agenda. What happens now?"

"We need to regroup with the Ruairi," Leonardo replied. "After that, I honestly don't know. Achaz said he would help us to recover the others, with or without the elohims' help."

"Achaz?"

"He's the leader of the Ruairi, and the driving force behind spurring the defected elohim into action."

"I have a lot of questions, but I don't think I've got the energy to ask all of them," he admitted.

"We'll get you up to speed," Leo promised. "It looks like we made a clean break with Arcadia, so hopefully we can simply regroup, and get ready to go back."

Don looked at his blue-masked brother as something suddenly occurred to him. "That other elohim _stunned_ me, didn't he?"

Leonardo nodded. "He did. I'm sorry I let it happen. I was too caught up with Bahri, and I didn't realize Kenric was going to do anything like that."

"You mean you still can't read everyone's minds?" Don gave him a wry smile. "That's disappointing."

"I think you should get some more rest, Donny," Raphael spoke up. "You look rough."

Donny sighed heavily. "I guess the Matches have that effect on someone."

Leonardo shifted uncomfortably. "Bahri told us they were forcing you to fight people."

The purple-masked turtle stared up at the ceiling. "It was a lot of fun, let me tell you."

Raphael gave him a half-grin. "We heard you made a name for yourself."

Donny snorted. "I don't know about that. It's definitely not an experience I hope to repeat." _And I'd rather not talk about it right now_, he added silently.

Leonardo seemed to sense his hesitation and changed the subject. "Your friend Kamryn is going to be glad to see you."

Donatello jerked in surprise. "Kamryn? Where did you find _her_?"

Leo smiled. "It was sort of a kidnapping, but once she found out who we were, she was happy to help us."

"Where is she now?"

"Kamryn stayed back with a couple more people on a 'disguised' land cruiser. I could ask Ghyath if he knows where they are."

Don nodded. "Would you? I'd be upset if anything happened to her."

Leonardo straightened upright. "I'll go find out."

Raphael settled down on the floor after Leo left. "I've been real worried about you, Donny. I'm sorry about Jen too. These elohim are supposed to be our friends, but they're not proving all that trustworthy. It's nice to have my bros back, who I _know_ I can count on." He extended a fist and Donatello obligingly bumped it.

"Yeah," Don agreed tightly. "I just wish that everything wasn't screwed up. But I understand why you and Leo trusted the elohim, even though you couldn't know if it was safe to."

"They were our ticket inside Central," Raphael said morosely. "We're at a serious disadvantage here, Genius."

"No kidding. In a place like this, you can't call me that anymore."

"Sure I can, Donny. You're as smart as you ever were."

"I'm not smart like _them_, Raph. Their technology is more advanced than I've dreamed of accomplishing. Yasir talks about manipulating DNA and designing drugs for us like it's the easiest thing in the world. He has a better grip on _our_ DNA than I do."

Raphael snorted. "Ghyath told me these elohim live for hundreds of years, Donny, and this Yasir character is one of the oldest. That means he's been around the block like a zillion times already."

"I guess. But it doesn't change the fact that I can't compete with them. Like it or not…we need their help."

"Maybe we do, but I don't know about these elohim, Bro. They _hid_ Jen from us."

Donatello clenched his eyes shut as he gripped the mattress with all of the force he could muster. "If you keep reminding me, I'm going to have to hurt someone."

"If it makes you feel any better, Leo already took Bahri down pretty hard."

"He should have at least waited until I could _watch_."

At the sound of the hatch being released, Raphael quickly glanced over his shoulder. "No, Don, I don't think he could have."

Leonardo ducked back into the room. "A rendezvous point has been arranged. We're going to have to wait longer on the land cruiser to get there, but the Ruairi are already in place."

Donatello drew a deep breath. "What are _they_ like? I only met the hostage inside that Match, and we barely had a chance to talk."

Raphael cocked his head. "What did they team you up with an old guy for?"

"They wanted me to do their dirty work for them. I was supposed to kill him, and I refused. That's what almost got _me_ executed. But memory or not, some things aren't negotiable."

Leonardo nodded. "I know what you mean. I was supposed to kill someone too, and I couldn't do it in cold blood. That's how I met the Ruairi. They're not a race you can figure out with a glance, Don. You need to meet Achaz – that should answer some questions. The Overlords have been misrepresenting their kind as terrorists for years."

Donny laughed humorlessly. "Those Overlords aren't the people I'd ask when looking for advice on character, Leo. I think most of them don't have a clue what it is."

"You speak truthfully, though it is unfortunate."

Donatello's head whipped around to the doorframe, where a tall elohim had just addressed him from. _Bahri. _He was tempted to close his eyes against the wave of dizziness that crashed over him, but he fixed the alien with a glare instead.

"Donatello, I hope that you are feeling all right," Bahri said meekly.

"You mean since one of your guys stunned me, and my wife is still in the hands of a sadistic genius who wants to unlock the secrets of my unborn children? I feel peachy, Bahri. How are you?"

"It may not mean anything to you, Donatello, but I _am_ sorry. We are sadly inexperienced with this type of raid, and it was determined ahead of time that breaching the clinic would not be possible on the trip."

"Determined by who?" he shot back. "Your entire team, or you and your cronies?"

Bahri didn't have an answer for him.

"Did you ever stop to consider for one second that she's a real, live person? Does it matter to you what happens to her?"

The elohim looked at the floor. "We did not mean to abandon her, Donatello. We are trying to make things right."

"You still haven't explained what you mean by that," Raphael interjected. "Now would be a _great_ time to get real with us."

The elohim scanned between all three turtles before taking a step backward. "I think that none of you are ready to hear it." He bowed his head as he left the room.

"It's feeling more and more like Achaz was right about them," Leonardo murmured. "They're only prepared to go so far."

"Who?" Donny asked. "The Ruairi or the elohim?"

"Maybe both." The blue-masked turtle shook his head. "It's difficult to figure out where they stand."

Donatello groaned loudly. "This is a nightmare. A living nightmare." He gazed past Raphael to where Michelangelo was lying. "If only I…" he started, but paused as his train of thought changed. "I would give anything to have access to my own software. I would feel better just knowing where the others are. That's half the battle. If we can find them, we can get them back."

"We will, Donny," Raphael insisted. "These aliens don't know who they're messing with."

"Don, why don't you get some more sleep?" Leonardo suggested. "I can wake you up when Kamryn gets here if you want."

Don nodded dejectedly, having the energy to do nothing more.

Leonardo knelt down beside him again. "Don, we'll get Jenna out of there. I don't care what it takes. We'll find Brandon and Jazz too. Whether or not we can trust in all of these characters surrounding us, we still have each other. Tonight was both a success and a failure…but next time will be different – I swear."

"You didn't fail, Leo," Donny reminded him. "They didn't give you a chance to. It _will_ be different next time, because we need to do things our way, even if we're cooperating with them."

Raphael chuckled. "We see how far following them got us. Leo had to devise the way out after all. I think we should just keep him in charge from the start, save a little time."

Don smiled faintly. "You've got my vote."


	41. Reintroduction

Donatello couldn't bring himself to sleep, although he agreed to rest to satisfy his older brothers. As he stared at a prone Michelangelo across from him, he couldn't help shaking his head. _If someone told me tonight would end up this way, I wouldn't have believed it. I'm not shocked Leo fought to help make something happen…but I hate the thought of what Yasir might do now that he only has Jenna and the babies to work with._

The thought of the raven-haired woman in the alien's hands made him shudder. The purple-masked turtle tried to prevent his mind from elaborating any further, but he wasn't successful. _Yasir can't take many risks with the babies in this stage, can he?_

Donny relaxed his head so that he was staring at the ceiling of the ship. _Getting to Jenna _now_ will probably prove more difficult than rescuing Mike and I to begin with. Doesn't matter. We'll find a way. We have to._

He shifted positions uncomfortably, resting an arm behind his head. _I wonder what's going through everyone's heads at home. Where would they begin to look for us? They won't even have the signal from our beacons to track. I can only imagine the frustration…_Donatello let the thought trail off as he considered their implanted beacons.

_Hm. I wonder if the homing beacons could still be intact. _He looked down at his right arm. _I don't remember Yasir messing with mine, but then, I don't remember _anything _he did to me, medically speaking. Even if he didn't bother touching them, would it matter? Could the tracking devices work within their atmosphere?_

_I suppose they might still emit some kind of signal, but I don't know anything about Zuhur's naturally occurring frequencies and radio waves. It could be bouncing around in some obscure spot, or the devices might not be transmitting at all. _

_The first step is to find out if we still _have_ our beacons. Then I would have to design something from scratch to search their frequencies in order to find _our_ signal. I wonder what kind of components they have lying around wherever we're going. I need to get my hands on whatever scraps they have available and see what I can come up with, if anything. Catching up with their technology is going to be a trip. If I could—_

The hiss of a hatch made him stiffen, before he remembered that he didn't need to fear the sound. Leonardo hesitated in the doorframe and folded his arms when he saw Donny wide awake.

"You haven't slept, have you?"

"There are a few things on my mind, Leo."

His brother gave him a stern look for a split-second, but then softened. "Your friend is here."

The purple-masked turtle instantly rolled over. "Can you send her in?"

Leonardo looked out into the hall. "C'mon, Kamryn. He was already awake – you're not disturbing him."

He moved aside to give her access to the door, and the young woman slowly entered the room, as though she wasn't sure she belonged. Her light brown hair was down for the first time in Donatello's recollection, and he was surprised by how long it was.

"Hi," he said warmly. "Are you coming in?"

"Yes, I'm only…" Kamryn started, and then paused. "They said that you can remember everything."

Donny nodded. "Yeah; it was the last Match that did it." He peered at Kamryn curiously, and his brow creased as she trembled. "It's still me," he reassured her. "You're just getting the whole package."

"I'm happy for you, Donatello. I thought I'd lost you, and now that you're here, I…" Kamryn stopped as her voice broke.

Don slowly sat up on the edge of the bed. He opened his arms to embrace her, and her flood-gate burst open.

"I'm sorry." She gasped for words. "You must think I'm an idiot."

"No I don't," he disagreed. "I think you're a good person, and a _good_ friend."

"When the medics came onto the floor, I tried to go to you. An Overlord wouldn't let me close. He said that you were going to Yasir, and I knew it meant nothing good. I thought I'd never see you again."

He gave her a half grin. "My family is a persistent bunch. Even if my brothers didn't have help, they would have found a way to get to Mike and I. We take care of each other, Kamryn." Donatello motioned for her to sit down on the end of the bed, and saw her gaze travel over to Mike. "That's my little brother, Michelangelo."

She smiled. "Raphael told me some things about him."

"Mike is one of those people who have to be _experienced_ to believe," Donny cracked.

She chuckled. "It's nice to see you this way, so…alive. If anything, I expected you to be grievously injured."

"Lucky me, I fall on Yasir's 'valuable' list. At least as far as an experimental guinea pig is concerned." He winced when the words left his mouth. "I didn't mean it the way that it sounded."

"It's all right, Donatello," she assured him. "You speak the truth from Yasir's perspective, not your own."

"I don't know what other damage Barak might have inflicted, but Yasir repaired my knee most importantly."

"It _looked_ like he focused on your leg purposefully."

"I'm sure he did. I've had serious issues with my knee in the past, and Yasir saw evidence of it from my original scans."

"I don't think you were breathing when the medics first came to you."

Donatello settled back on the other end of the bed. "It was such a rapid onset that I doubt it was only related to my physical symptoms. I think the combination of pain I was experiencing between my knee and breaking the mind barrier along with the shock of my memories suddenly returning contributed to dyspnea."

"I don't know what that is."

"It's a condition characterized by shortness of breath or 'air hunger'. It can be induced for a number of physical reasons, but in this case I'm assuming it was related to a psychogenic effect."

Kamryn shook her head. "I _knew_ you were smart."

Donatello shrugged. "I'm over my head inside _your_ world."

"I doubt that."

The purple-masked turtle cleared his throat to change the subject. "So…Leo said they 'kidnapped' you?"

"That's how it started, but I was more than happy to come along."

"But what happens _now_, Kamryn?"

She shook her head again. "I don't know, but I'll enjoy all the time I have."

Don exhaled sharply. "Meaning, you have no intention of going back to the Overlords."

"Why would I? So I can be their 'guinea pig', as you put it, until they finally do something that ends my life? I don't see the point, and I honestly don't care anymore."

"_I_ care, Kamryn."

The young woman gave him a sad smile. "I know you do."

"You didn't tell my brothers about your medical condition, did you?"

Kamryn bowed her head. "I was going to get around to it. I didn't want to give them any reason to return me to Arcadia. I did confess it to the Ruairi, but I didn't plan to. It just came out. In many ways, the Ruairi and I are very similar. The procedures we went through were different, but the result is the same. They are dying, as I am dying, and it's all due to the Overlords' actions."

"Maybe there's a way to get our hands on the technology we need. Surely someone knows—"

She held up a hand to stop him. "I don't want you to get your hopes up, Donatello. The elohim closely guard their genetic research. It's not something that can simply be replicated. I'm all right. I don't care how much time I have left; it's enough to know you're safe."

Don snorted. "I don't know about being _safe_, Kamryn, but I'm sure better off than I was. And I'm not giving up hope for you either."

Kamryn held his eyes steadily. "You have others to be concerned with, Donatello. I know your loved ones are still being held captive."

It was _his_ turn to falter as emotion came up faster than he'd expected. "If _we_'_d_ been in charge of the last raid, there would have been one less." Donatello was silent for a few seconds before forcing himself to break out of brooding over Jenna, and found Kamryn staring at him. "What?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You mean two questions?"

"But I only have one—"

"Yes, Kamryn. Ask me anything you want."

"What is this 'guinea pig' you were talking about?"

Donatello laughed, startled. "It's just an expression from Earth. Guinea pigs are small, furry animals that scientists sometimes use in their research. Thereby the term of being someone's 'guinea pig' developed to mean the same thing as like a…test subject."

"I've often wondered about Earth," she said wistfully. "I've seen pictures, but I never know what to believe from the Overlords."

Donatello made a scoffing sound. "I wouldn't be quick to—"

A deep sigh from across the room made him cut off suddenly. He looked over to the other bed in time to see Michelangelo bury his cheek into his pillow. He half-stumbled in his haste to rise, but continued to his brother's side.

"Mike?"

Michelangelo yawned but didn't open his eyes. "Yeah?" he mumbled.

"Mikey!" Donny called louder.

His orange-masked brother blinked and blue eyes met him, the irises looking strangely paler than usual.

"Hi." Donatello tried to keep his tone calm this time.

"Donny?" Mike sounded a little more awake.

"Yeah, Bro. I'm not a mirage."

"You're not? Are we in a desert or something?"

"Um…actually, we kind of are. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Weird. Are you talking to me, or is this all inside my head?"

Donatello squeezed his brother's wrist. "It's real, Mike; _I'm_ real. You can feel me, can't you?"

"I always have," he said softly. "I knew you had to be okay."

He gazed at his younger brother appreciatively. Hearing Mike refer to the uncanny sensitivity he'd always experienced over Donny was comforting and familiar.

Mike's eyes were shifting, taking in the rest of their surroundings like he was finally seeing them. "None of this makes sense…but _you_ do."

"The fact that we're together is the important thing. Are you in any pain?"

"No…no, there hasn't been pain. At least not the kind that stings. I think I was lost for about twenty years."

Donatello laughed softly. "Not quite, though I bet it felt like it."

Mike raised one of his wrists and looked at the tube that was still coming from it. "Is this your doing?"

"No, unfortunately we're still far away from any medical help _I_ could provide, Mike. One of the elohim set up the infusion; it's supposed to help cleanse your system from the stupid drug they were injecting you with."

Mike's eyes widened and he swallowed nervously. "Elohim? You can't trust them, Donny; they're bad stuff."

"Most of them are. Some of them are supposed to be good, but the jury is still out as far as I'm concerned."

Mike's blinked rapidly and looked around the room again. "Where _are_ we, Donny?" It sounded like it had only just occurred to him to ask. "How did we get here?"

"Leo and Raph joined forces with some natives and came after us tonight. Well…I suppose it's about morning by now. Yasir had me underground in the bunker too."

"Are they here?" Mike's voice surged with life.

"I'll get them," Kamryn spoke up, reminding Donatello that she _was_ still in the room.

"Don't go far yourself," he told her. "We're not finished."

"We'll talk later, Donatello. It's more vital for you and your brothers to reconnect."

The young woman disappeared, and a couple of minutes later a pair of thunderous footsteps announced Raphael's presence before he barreled into the small cabin. Donny smiled broadly when his older brother's face lit up.

"Well, you didn't keep us waiting too long, Chucklehead. For once." The red-masked turtle grinned.

"Hey, some things are worth waiting for. Yours truly is one of them," Mike returned.

"I'm not even gonna argue with you, Bro. I'm just glad you're speaking in complete sentences."

Leonardo ducked into the room behind him, and the two older turtles huddled closer to the beds in the small space. "Hey, Mike, it's nice of you to join us."

"Well…we're all here," Mike said. "What next, fearless leader?"

Leo shook his head. "I wish I knew, Mikey. _Nothing_ is simple this time around."

"But we're together," Raphael countered. "There're a lot of things we could ask for, but at least we've got that."

The room lapsed into silence for a few moments.

"I'd better get some more material for Aidan out of this," Mike muttered.

Donny had to laugh at his younger brother's reference to his heroine from the fiction series he was writing. "I wouldn't take too much inspiration from current circumstances, Mikey. Fictional characters have feelings too. You can push them over the edge."

Raphael snorted. "Who's worried about pushing some fictional characters over the edge? I'm about to drop a few aliens if we don't get some options soon. I am _not _settling for staying on this rock."

"None of us are going to settle, Raph," Leo agreed. "The elohim have made frequent trips to Earth. There are ways we can get home. We have to find the others first; that's the number one priority. After that, we can start tackling other hurdles."

Leonardo sounded confident, but Donatello saw the troubled look in his oldest brother's eyes. He wanted to ask what else the blue-masked turtle was thinking, but he didn't have the energy to add anything else to worry about. _Over the edge. I feel like we're so close, I need to hang onto something._


	42. New Friends

For Michelangelo, the first eight hours or so after waking up were a complete blur. The significance of being surrounded by his brothers had taken a few minutes to really hit him. He had no memory to bridge the gap between being locked up by Yasir and waking up on a _real_ space ship.

_Air ship, _he reminded himself. One of the elohim had corrected his terminology a little over an hour before. The craft was designed to handle the rigors of flight, but not the challenges of outer space. _It's so hard to believe that we're casually hanging out with aliens on some desert planet light years away from Earth. It doesn't seem like a big deal to Leo and Raph, but they _are _the ones who've been roaming around with them._

Mike had yet to venture outside the ship_. _Though he felt wide awake, he couldn't find very much energy. It felt like he was chained in one place, unable to move or escape the crushing power of weariness.

It wasn't _all _bad though. He enjoyed meeting his brother's "trainer", and the purple-masked turtle and the young woman hadn't left his side all day. They'd finally abandoned the tiny room in the back to relax in the spacious main cabin.

"Are you _sure_ you feel okay, Mikey?" Donatello asked.

_Gotta stop being so quiet or he'll keep thinking there's something wrong with me. _Mike smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm okay, Bro; it just feels like someone bottled up all my energy somewhere. If you could find it for me, I'd be grateful."

Donny gave him a wry smile, but one of the elohim spoke up from nearby before he could.

"Shukri said it would take a few days for the serum to be completely driven from your blood-stream. That is why your energy is still hampered," the alien told him.

Michelangelo glanced at the blue-eyed elohim, and then back at his brother. The anger that crossed Donny's face reminded Mike who the elohim was. _Oh yeah, Bahri. He's Don's favorite._

Bahri didn't come any closer, clearing his throat nervously. "If you were to take a couple more infusions of the cleansing agent, the process would be over more quickly."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Mike replied, not even looking for Donny's approval first. "I think I've had enough of your guys' meds. I'll stick with Don."

Bahri cocked his head curiously. "Do you have some knowledge of medicine, Donatello?"

"Some?" The orange-masked turtle snorted. "My brother is one of the only reasons all of us are still around. His formulas and inventions have saved us too many times to count."

The elohim took a couple of steps toward them, but stopped when Donatello gave him another dark look. "That is very interesting. I would like to hear more, but I can see you are still reconnecting. Excuse me."

Donny rolled his eyes as the alien left. "Hey, Mike, do me a favor. Don't go telling all these aliens how 'brilliant' I am, okay? Things are different here. Their technology and medical resources are extremely advanced, and I'm way behind the curve."

Mike shook his head. "Not true, Bro. These guys are gonna see it before too long. You can't hide your genius."

"I won't try to hide it if _you_ don't start a parade over it."

Michelangelo chuckled and locked gazes with Kamryn. "He's hilarious, do you know that? Donny does the craziest stuff, and acts like it's nothing. I can find him around lunchtime and ask him about his day so far. 'Oh well, I found I found the cure for cancer, located a lost Nazi submarine, and I even had time to fix the power cord for your Wii on my break.'"

Kamryn laughed. "I understood about a quarter of that."

"That's okay - he's exaggerating anyway," Don told her.

"Donny, _Raph's_ the one who calls you 'Genius'. He doesn't give credit where it isn't due."

Donatello smirked. "We had a bet, Mike. He has no choice except to call me Genius until the day he dies – those were _his_ terms."

Mike shook his head. "But as I was saying, Kam, he's really smart."

The young woman cast Donny a furtive glance. "I think you're losing this argument."

"It's hard to fight with Mikey. I'm usually driven by logic, whereas his arguments don't even have to make _sense_."

"You drive my point further into the ground every time you open your mouth, Donny."

At his brother's withering look, Mike couldn't help laughing. "I missed you, Bro. Even with as bad as stuff is, it feels more like home 'cause you're here."

Donatello grasped his shoulder lightly. "I didn't have many _opportunities_ to miss you, because it took me a long time to snap out of it. But the last couple of days, wondering about what Yasir was doing with you…they weren't fun, Mike."

"Donatello, a lot of people live their entire lives without breaking the memory barrier. It happened rather quickly for you, comparatively speaking," Kamryn protested.

"Well…I guess some things are just too unique to forget," Donny allowed.

Mike smiled at him in return, nodding vigorously. "Bros forever."

"Always and forever, Mike."

Kamryn took a deep breath. "This is what it's like," she murmured.

"What?" Mike asked.

"Having a family, siblings. Is this normal for you?"

"Throw out the air ship, the funky planet, and the new girl with the cool eyes...and yeah, this is pretty close to normal," Mike replied.

Kamryn's brow creased. "I don't understand what it means when people use the word 'cool' that way. It's supposed to be a good thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Cool is like radical, tubular, righteous, happening."

She laughed again. "I speak English, Mike, but I still don't know what you're talking about."

"You'll catch up. You could also just perfect the 'smile and nod' technique," he suggested.

"How does that work?"

"It's really simple. Whenever you don't get something, you smile and nod."

"And that's supposed to help me understand?"

"No, but it makes other people _think _that you do."

Kamryn smiled at the turtle. "You may be too much for me, Michelangelo."

Donatello's arm went around his neck affectionately. "He's a little over the top, but you'll never be bored around Mikey."

"No, probably not," she said wistfully. "I don't think I really knew what was missing from my life until today. It makes me wonder how differently things could have gone if I'd been born on Earth…or what _I_ might have been like. I think I've laughed more today than I have in ten years time. That is a gift, Michelangelo."

"He's our little ray of sunshine," Donatello teased.

"Yup. He's the brain, and I'm the sun – just so the roles are clear."

Kamryn exchanged another grin with his purple-masked brother. "Seeing you in this light helps me understand why you had hope, even when you weren't sure there was a reason to. It must be so deeply ingrained inside you that nothing could ever remove it from your mind. You still have hope, despite being separated from those you love."

A wave of sadness washed across Donny's countenance so quickly the young woman cringed.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

He shook his head. "It's not your fault. I would much rather exchange places with Jenna right now. I'd give anything for her and the babies to be safe, instead of in the hands of that madman," he finished bitterly. Mike saw his brother grimace before Donny covered his eyes with one hand. "It may sound stupid, but I sort of wish they would have left me behind. Yasir would be occupied with me, and he wouldn't have any reason to mess with Jen."

"Donny." Michelangelo didn't know what to say, so he simply put an arm around his brother. Donatello's breathing deepened and he accepted the embrace for a few seconds before pulling away.

"I think I need some air. I'll be back, all right?"

"Promise?" Mike asked half-seriously.

"Yeah…I won't get lost or anything."

Kamryn followed his figure until Donny walked out the door. "I didn't mean to upset him."

"It wasn't you, Kamryn, you gotta know that. This is overwhelming for _all_ of us. I don't know how anyone is dealing with it rationally. Donny will be okay. He needs some space."

"Don't we all?" She tried to give him a real smile. "In the meantime, it's been nice talking to you, Mike."

"Seriously, Kam, don't feel bad," he said.

"But I _do_ feel bad, for all of you. I can admit I've sometimes felt sorry for myself, especially over the last year. But witnessing your situation…I don't think I have anything to complain about."

Mike shrugged. "No one's got a perfect life, Kamryn."

"Hey, Mike?" Leonardo's voice called to him from the open hatch of the ship. "Is everything all right in there?"

"You mean with Donny, Leo? He just needs some private time."

The blue-masked turtle came further into the cabin, and Mike's eyes widened when one of the Ruairi entered behind him. He'd seen the aliens through the windows of the craft, but he'd yet to _meet_ a Ruairi.

"He'll be okay," Mike assured Leo once he'd recovered from surprise. He tried hard not to stare at the willowy figure of the alien who'd accompanied Leonardo, but he couldn't help taking mental photographs. _I wonder what Aidan would think of these guys. Do they actually use their wings? _Gold-rimmed ebony eyes regarded him with curiosity too.

"Mike, this is Achaz, leader of the Ruairi," Leonardo introduced him. "He's been waiting to meet you."

"Yeah, sure." Mike nodded hello. "You guys wanna sit down?"

Achaz bobbed his head in return, reminding the orange-masked turtle even more of a bird. "It's nice to meet you, Michelangelo."

"You too. I uh…I heard you lost one of your guys back there in the middle of everything. I'm sorry."

Achaz sighed quietly. "It is _never_ a desirable end to a raid. We grieve for our brother, but we are grateful that our elder lives, and that you and Donatello were successfully retrieved. I am also glad no one was injured with the exception of Bahri."

Michelangelo was surprised when Leonardo flinched.

"That was my doing," he admitted.

"What?" Mike was confused.

"I went after him," Leonardo said frankly. "The elohim _knew _about Jenna, and they hid her from us. Then our guide stunned Don when he was getting upset. I barely kept my cool long enough to escape."

Achaz shook his head sadly. "It is unfortunate that they withheld the information, Leonardo. Things could have gone very differently."

"It could have been worse, but…" Leo hesitated. "I'm still furious. This is our _family_. Jenna's not someone you just throw away, or don't bother wasting time and energy on because it's not convenient."

"I agree with you, Leonardo," the Ruairi said. "Had I known, I would not have agreed to keep it from you…but I was no more aware of the true circumstances than you."

"I don't know what to think of the elohim," Leonardo said so quietly, it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"Leo, it's not gonna do us any good to imagine how things could have been different," Mike ventured. "We're not giving up on our friends, right?"

"No," his brother replied emphatically. "We _don't_ give up."

"That's right," Mike said cheerfully. "All for one, never say die, seize the day and all that jazz."

From Achaz's expression, it was clear he'd mystified the alien.

"He's more serious than he sounds, Achaz," Leonardo explained. "You have to read between the lines."

_Wow. None of these people seem to get me. It's kind of sad. _Mike gave the Ruairi a winning smile. "Don't underestimate the jokester, Achaz. I'm more _deadly_ than I sound too," he finished with a wink.

"I have seen Leonardo in action, Michelangelo. I do not think it wise to underestimate any of you, even if the elohim are much slower to see it." Achaz glanced left and right, as if making sure they were alone. "Bahri was not prepared for the enormity of an operation like that one. He is good at communicating with his people, and we _needed_ his channels to get into the bunker. But when it comes down to action, or being forced to make quick decisions—"

"He was worthless," Leonardo cut in. "He may as well have not been there at all. Ghyath had a much better head."

Achaz chuckled. "For all their advances, the elohim do not usually handle more than one role well. For someone to be a strong physically _and_ mentally gifted is a rare thing. The Anunnaki elite generally view violence as beneath them. They enjoy being entertained by it, but not partaking. Therefore the most intelligent are not typically those you want by your side in a fight. It is a long-standing characteristic that has been perpetuated in their genes."

Leonardo huffed under his breath. "It would have been helpful information to have _before_ we got inside the bunker. I didn't realize we were being kept in the dark over so many things. I knew they weren't being up front, but I didn't see this coming…and part of me still thinks I should have."

"Leo, how are you supposed to know everything they're hiding from you?" Mike challenged. "Don't you dare act like it's your fault."

"Your brother speaks truly," Achaz said somberly. "It would be unfair to take the burden on yourself."

Leo gave Mike a helpless look. "All I know is, we have to be more careful going forward with the elohim. We need their help, but I'm not taking a back seat again."

"How are you supposed to _drive_ from the back seat?" Mike asked.

"My point exactly," Leonardo replied. "Maybe _they_ couldn't find a way to get to Jenna, but if we'd combined forces, I bet we could have. We won't make another mistake like that one."


	43. Limbo

***And finally, after 42 chapters of silence, here is a small glimpse of what's happening back on Earth. It's hard to say who actually has the harder role to bear this time around...but I certainly wouldn't want to be in their family's shoes.**

* * *

><p>Luke Barrows was relaxing in a recliner with his eyes closed, but he was far from sleep. The blond-haired man sighed deeply as the physical ache of grief resonated in his chest. He opened blue eyes to stare up at the high rafters of the lodge's ceiling.<p>

The sight of the beams held decades of memories from growing up, and in more recent years as the extended "family" adopted the house as a mountain retreat. "Lotus Salvus" was their safe refuge, one of the only places where the turtles could roam free without fear. _This is where we come to relax and get _away_ from the every-day stresses and the risks they take on a nightly basis._

Now that the illusion of peace was broken, Luke could hardly stand his childhood home. _Why are we still here? It's been two months. How many more days can I wake up in the morning with false hope, expecting them to come waltzing out of the woods with some amazing explanation for their disappearance? How long will it take to find out if we're only fooling ourselves?_

He exhaled once more, rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand. It was only now, during the overnight hours, that he dared to question whether or not the turtles were alive, or if they were coming back. Luke normally went out of his way not to speak a negative word concerning them, particularly in front of their girls.

The man shifted in the recliner, searching for a more comfortable position. _What would the guys want us to do? Should we be trying to put some pieces back together? Hiding from whatever strange force invaded our backyard? Staying here seems like it might be one of the worst things we could do. _Someone_ knew they were here. _Something_ happened out there._

As unsavory as the idea was, he couldn't come up with another possibility. _They wouldn't leave everything else behind. Judging by the fact that we _all_ think a second party interfered, what's to stop another strike? Should we be standing our ground, or are we putting the kids in danger by lingering?_

None of the women displayed even a slight desire to return to New York City, although other members of their group already had. Greg led the charge earlier in themonth, hell-bent in his quest to determine which of their old enemies could be behind the sudden disappearance of their friends. The man was using every channel and resource he'd gained through years of Intelligence with the FBI, but Luke couldn't help feeling like there might not _be _any trail to follow this time.

"_Daddy!_"

A plaintive wail from down the hallway caught Luke's ear, and he turned his head quickly as it was repeated.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

He recognized the small voice, cringing while he hesitated in his chair. No, he couldn't ignore it and wait for her to go back to sleep. Not tonight. Luke got to his feet and shuffled down the hall, heading straight for the room where two young ones were supposed to be asleep.

Luke's four-year-old daughter Reina was sleeping soundly in her small bed, but the three-year-old turtle with the haunting amber eyes was sitting up on her knees in the middle of her blankets.

"Shhh, Liv," he said soothingly. "Why don't you lie back down? It's not morning yet."

His effort to get her to settle down only made the turtle cry harder. "Okay, okay. C'mere, Olivia. Come on." Luke hauled her off the bed and shifted the young one to his side as he carried her out of the room.

The turtle coughed and gasped for air greedily between sobs.

"All right…all right, Liv," he said quietly, intentionally keeping his voice steady to help calm her down.

Luke pulled a blanket off the couch as he walked by and wrapped up the squirming turtle while he sat back down. He gazed at Olivia openly as she continued sniffing through giant tears instead of resting her head like he was trying to coax her to do. _She's so much like her Dad. Stubborn, strong-willed…and absolutely amazing._

Tears rose involuntarily, hitting him far too quickly to prevent. "I'm sorry, Liv; I really am." He didn't dare speak her father's name out loud. The girl was old enough to recognize that Raphael had been gone for too long. Luke embraced her tightly and Olivia finally stopped fighting him.

"Luke?"

Karina's voice startled him out of his wits. Luke instantly sniffed and hurried to remove the evidence of tears from his eyes. "Hey, Karina."

The bronze-haired woman was standing a few feet away, watching him pensively. "I'm sorry, _hermano_. Did she wake you up?"

He shook his head. "No, I was _already_ up." Luke looked down at the turtle, and noticed her brighten at the sight of her mother. "You want your mama, Liv?"

Karina came slowly toward him, accepting the toddler into her arms before sinking into the couch. She bent down to kiss the girl's forehead and then focused on Luke. "You don't have to _hide_ it, Luke," she said softly. "We're all hurting. We _all_ miss them. It isn't like you're the only strong one who's not allowed to break down."

"I know," he replied half-heartedly.

"You're not _acting_ like you know. It seems as if you're trying to be the lone thing left standing after an entire building is demolished."

"What should I be doing?" he asked earnestly. "If you know, please tell me – because I don't."

"Nobody knows what we should do, _hermano_…and they don't expect you to have the answers either."

Luke glanced at Olivia and shook his head. "I can't help feeling like we could be putting them in danger by staying here."

"I think if something was going to come after us, it already would have, Luke."

"But we don't know that; we don't _know_ anything!" Luke struggled to keep his voice down. "If something doesn't happen soon…Karina, I can't just sit here, waiting to find out the truth. I'm about to go completely insane!"

Karina laughed, though Luke didn't see the humor of it. "You're not confessing anything we haven't, Luke."

"It doesn't help. As much as I hate seeing the turtles hurt, _that's_ what I'm programmed to deal with. I can help bring them back from the gates of death, but I can't handle not knowing where they are, or if they're…" He refused to finish the statement. "I've got a lot of faith in Calley, but I'm having my doubts too."

Leonardo's young wife possessed an uncanny sense of intuition which had never failed them before, but her proclamation that she "felt" like they were alive wasn't entirely reassuring. Neither was Greg's most recent theory as to what could have happened to the missing members of their family.

Karina drew her legs up underneath her on the couch, cradling Olivia closer as the little turtle started dropping off to sleep. "I can't say anything that's going to make you feel better, Luke. I can't make _myself _feel better either, or help Olivia not miss her father. The only option we have is to stick together and be as honest as we can."

Luke heaved a sigh. "I specialize in chemicals and vitals, Karina. I don't know _how _to do nothing."

"Well…we're all in the same club. It may not help, but it's the truth. You haven't been sleeping well since my sister returned to the city with Greg, have you?"

Luke made a scoffing sound to veil the truth in her statement. His wife had resurrected her old FBI partnership with Greg in the joint effort to find some answers. "You should hear the ideas that Kat and Greg are tossing around now."

Karina was silent for a couple of seconds. "She _did_ tell me, Luke. The pieces seem like they could fit."

He covered his face in frustration. "Oh, Karina. Don't encourage it, please?"

"I'm not going to write it off, Luke; I don't care how crazy it sounds. At one point in both of our lives, the idea of mutant turtles was the stuff of insanity too. Can _you_ explain how quickly their beacons went off the radar?"

"I can't," he returned. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to buy into whatever craziness Greg and Kat can dream up."

"Luke, all of us heard the sound barrier breaking. You said yourself there's no place around here for a jet to land!"

"We have no evidence that the sound barrier was tied to their disappearance. It could have been an isolated incident."

"The timing is incredible though, _hermano_. Does it feel like coincidence?"

"I can't apply logic to the thought of alien abduction, Karina. I can't do it."

His sister-in-law released a soft breath. "No one can say for sure that it happened, Luke. They're just trying to find _something_."

"Okay, I'll play along with this train of thought. For the sake of argument, let's say they _were_ taken by some entity from outside our atmosphere. What exactly are we supposed to do next? Hire a posse to hunt them down?"

Karina gave him such a helpless look that he felt bad for putting her on the spot. "I'm really sorry, Karina. I know how hard this is for you. You're missing your husband, your brother—"

"_We're_ missing our family, Luke. We're not complete without them. It's the worst feeling I can imagine, other than losing our young ones on top of it." Karina glanced down at Olivia. "I think she's far enough under now. I'm going to lay her down, and I'll be back. Don't go anywhere."

Luke watched her go, and waited silently for Karina to return to the Great Room. When the woman trudged back into the room she immediately looked toward the kitchen door.

"You want something to eat, Luke?"

He started to decline, but then thought better of it. _She'll feel better if she does something too. _"Okay," he agreed, rising to follow her to the kitchen.

"What do you feel like? Between dinner and breakfast, just about anything goes."

He smiled. "Surprise me."

Karina opened the fridge, hemming and hawing for a few seconds. "It feels so empty," she said finally, and nearly closed the door. Instead she pulled out a carton of eggs, and checked the label before setting it on the counter. "I never used to have to worry about expiration dates," she muttered. "The food never _lasted_ that long."

"What's your vision?"

"Oh, nothing fancy. We've got bread we need to use up, so I was thinking French toast. If we still have some almonds I could put a nice crust on it."

"That sounds good, Karina."

The woman relaxed into the familiar activity of preparing food, and Luke felt a tiny portion of his weight easing too. The sound of whimpering from the other side of the door made him look over his shoulder, and he wasn't surprised when a curly-haired young woman appeared.

Rebecca ducked sheepishly as she carried the baby turtle into the kitchen. "Is there room for two more in here, or do I need a reservation?"

Karina smiled fondly. "For you guys, Chica, I'll make an exception."

Becky headed directly to the fridge for one of the prepared bottles and took it over to the warmer. "He's been so restless tonight," she said, shifting Nate to her other shoulder while she waited for the liquid to heat up. "I don't think he's slept for more than half an hour at a time."

"He just wants to join our club." Luke gave her a wry smile. "You should tell him to wait a few more years."

"I tried that," she said sardonically. "Surprisingly, Nate wasn't very receptive."

Rebecca shifted Nathanial again, and Luke could see that the turtle's blue-green eyes were heavy.

"Yes, he definitely looks like he needs some sleep, and I bet you do too."

Becky nodded. "That goes for all of us."

"Yes, but a full stomach won't hurt," Karina called over. "French toast?"

"Give in to peer pressure. It's what Mikey would want," Luke said meaningfully.

Rebecca chuckled softly. "Yeah. This is where _he_ would be, for sure."

"Have you tried giving Nate any cereal yet?" Luke offered. "It used to help Reina sleep through the night. Of course, nothing's normal right now, and I'm sure that contributes to this."

Becky sighed. "Yes…he knows. He misses his Dad, and I do too."

Silence overwhelmed the room for almost a full minute.

"Well, I'm going to start getting some toast going before the rest of the house joins us. Are you eating, Becky?" Karina asked briskly.

"I'm already here."

"Good girl." Karina came over from the stove briefly to coo over the baby. "Poor little guy. He'll sleep good after you feed him. He can't hold out forever."

Luke gazed back and forth between the two women, and anxiety twinged on his mind. _It's hard to think about how close we were with Jenna. She was pregnant. Hopefully, she still is. Caleb invested a lot of effort with the in vitro fertilization, and she and Donny were so happy. The timing of all this…it just isn't fair._

He hunched over slightly in his chair. _I miss the days when all I had to do was patch up their injuries and stay on their cases to _keep_ them healthy. I am not cut out for this waiting around. Would it be too much to ask for a sign that they're all right? _Luke swallowed back the emotion that wanted to rise. _I probably wouldn't understand it, even if I got one._


	44. Cavern

When Michelangelo took his first steps outside the air ship that evening, he had to admit he wasn't impressed with his surroundings. _It's no wonder all the plants and stuff inside the Dome were artificial. This place is half-dead. _A barren wilderness wasn't what _he_ dreamed of when he contemplated an alien civilization. _I'll have to be more creative than this for Aidan, _he thought distractedly, even though writing was the furthest thing from his mind.

Earlier in the day their small caravan was joined by a couple more cruisers, and he guessed there were now closer to twenty Ruairi spread out over the canyon floor. _I can't understand why they'd join us here, or why we're hanging out in this place to begin with. _

The only other sign of life in sight was a crooked limbed tree that reminded him of a banyan. The orange-masked turtle shook his head. _It looks so lonely and alone. This place is too weird for me. _

He was drawn out of thought when Donatello came his direction, and immediately started walking again too. The weakness of his limbs slowed his steps, and the intensity of his brother's appraising gaze let Michelangelo know Donny would be watching him closely for weeks to come.

"I feel fine, Don," he reminded him.

"You said that, but you aren't 100%, Mike. I don't know what was _in_ the stuff Yasir was giving you, so I can't relax."

"Of course you can't," he teased. "Take you away from your Lab, your computers, your inventions…and you'll _still _find something to tie up your mind."

Donatello gave him a weak smile that pained Mike to see. _Shell, he's taking the results of the raid _hard_. But I wouldn't act any differently if I'd been that close to Beck and ended up missing her._

"Are you hungry enough to eat?" Donny asked.

Mike made a face. "Why? Is the Ruairis' food any better than the elohims'?"

The purple-masked turtle shook his head. "Not to hear Raph talk, unfortunately."

"What are we doing out here, Donny? Has anyone said why we're sitting in this canyon?"

"I think we're waiting out the Overlords to be certain we really weren't followed. Leo said their contact claims the elohim aren't looking for the craft we stole. The Ruairi have some fortress and we'll probably head there next, after it's clear we won't be exposing it."

"But why did those _other_ Ruairi join us?" Mike motioned to one of the small clusters of the aliens nearby.

"I don't know, Mike. I honestly don't have any more knowledge of these guys than you do. Maybe they're drawing together because they lost a brother, or maybe it has something to do with their elder. He seems to be very important to them."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's just a feeling, Mikey."

Michelangelo followed his brother's gaze to where it rested on Achaz and another Ruairi conversing with Kamryn. He saw Donatello's brow crease like he was troubled, and Mike cleared his throat. "Hey, Bro? You okay?"

"What?" Don turned to look at him. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? 'Cause it looks like something's bothering you."

"I'm fine," he repeated firmly. "But it's getting too cold out here."

Mike nodded, though he hadn't noticed the temperature change. "It'll probably only get colder as it gets later, right? Maybe we're better off staying on the ship."

Donatello shook his head again. "They want to save the energy cells."

"The what?"

"The power source. It renews itself after a period of time, but they need to keep a full charge in case of an emergency. It can move fast, but it burns through the reserves at high speed."

"So where _are_ we camping out?"

Donatello pointed to a path that appeared to be winding around the mountain. "There's a cavern where we can have a fire. We'll be warmer, _and_ out of sight."

Michelangelo exhaled. "This brings back memories of another trip to unfamiliar territory, huh, Donny?"

Don snorted loudly. "And I thought being lost in the rainforest was bad. The whole experience in the Congo was a picnic compared to this."

Mike shrugged. "That's probably true, even if Becky and I _did_ have to walk a long way to find you guys."

"To find us?" Donatello echoed. "I think you're forgetting the actual sequence of events."

"I remember everything perfectly, right up to being out my mind with fever. My point is that reconnecting with you guys back then _does_ feel easy when you think about where we are right now. Wondering how we're going to get home makes the challenges of the Congo seem like nothing."

"Yeah," Don agreed softly. "We're all thinking along those lines."

"Are Leo and Raph already up there?"

"They were helping set some things up. I'm just not sure…" Donatello faltered. "Do you think you can make it up there if we take it slowly?"

"One step at a time." Mike grinned. "That or you could grab one of these Ruairi guys to give me a ride. That could be fun."

"Something tells me the Ruairi aren't the playful type, Mike."

"You don't like them," the orange-masked turtle asserted. "Why is that?"

"I didn't say that, Mike. I don't _know_ them, and I'm not sure what to think of anyone yet."

Michelangelo considered pressing the issue, but decided to let it go for the time being. When Donatello didn't want to talk about something, he could shut up tighter than a steel trap. _I don't wanna fight with him._

"Let's just start walking and see how I do?" Mike suggested.

Donny nodded without making eye contact.

Mike sighed inwardly_. I'm gonna have to crack him soon._

The purple-masked turtle hovered within inches of his shell, and Mike did nothing to dissuade him. After the recent events, even Donny's overprotectiveness didn't bother him. _Yasir is probably beside himself over losing all four of us. But what does that mean for Jenna and the babies? _Mike rolled his eyes. Why_ am I bothering to ask Donny what's wrong with him?_

"You okay, Mike? You're getting quiet on me."

"I'm good," he answered quickly. "I'll speak up if I'm not, Donny, honest."

It felt like they were moving at a snail's pace, but Donatello didn't rush him while they traveled up the gradual incline. The sight of dancing shadows on the ledge made Mike look forward to the familiarity of a fire. When Donny led him through the entrance of their refuge, Leonardo met them on the other side.

"Don, we weren't ready," Leo scolded. "I said I'd come get you."

"It's cold, Leo. I didn't want to put off settling in any longer." Donatello cast Mike a short glance.

"Donny, I wasn't cold." Mike protested.

"You didn't _realize _you were," Donatello corrected. "It has something to do with the sedative they used on you, Mike. Bahri warned me it could affect your senses."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wasn't going to give you something else to worry about."

Michelangelo gave him a stern look. "But you're allowed to worry as much as you want," he scoffed. "Any other fun side effects I should know about?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Donny replied glibly.

Mike was tempted to roll his eyes again, but the fire burning a few feet away distracted him. The flames were the strangest cherry-red hue the turtle had ever seen. "What makes the fire that color?"

"It comes from the ignition point, a synthetic material," Don explained. "There are very few trees, so they don't use wood for fuel. I was told it burns much longer with fewer irritants than normal smoke."

The orange-masked turtle cocked his head. "Well, it looks cool anyway."

"That's what matters the most, Chucklehead," Raphael retorted with a smirk.

"I don't suppose anyone thought of packing marshmallows for this unscheduled field trip, huh?" Mike asked. "Or anything else that could almost pass for food?"

"There's food all right, just not the kind we're used to," Leonardo said apologetically. "I'm sorry it isn't here yet; I didn't want you to have to wait."

"I'm okay, Leo. You could try taking a load off for a change."

The blue-masked turtle exhaled sharply. "With the exception of the raid the other night, that's all we've _been_ doing, Mike."

Raphael shook his head. "Speak for yourself, Fearless. _Some_ of us were working our shells off."

Mike gave him a questioning gaze, and Raphael went on.

"I learned more than I ever wanted to know about farming, Mikey, let me tell you."

"He was quite good at it," an even voice added from behind them, surprising Mike with its Irish brogue.

"It's hard to mess up swinging a pick-ax," Raphael said coldly.

"On the contrary," the stranger replied. "It would be easy to hurt someone else or yourself, particularly for someone as strong as you, Raphael."

"Who's your friend, Bro?" Mike asked.

The red-masked turtle muttered something indistinguishable under his breath, and the red-haired man advanced into the cavern.

"My name is Ezra," he introduced himself, glancing at Raphael. "Your brother and I were paired up in the labor force."

Mike extended a hand to the man at once. "I'm Mike. Nice to meet ya. "

"We weren't paired together," Raphael spoke up. "I showed up outta nowhere, and he pretended to adopt me."

"I _tried_ to be your friend," the man insisted.

"Friend to friend, how long did you plan on keeping me in the dark before you told me _anything_?" Raphael challenged.

"You said you would give me another chance to speak to you, Raphael. "

"So talk," he said stiffly. "Anything you've gotta say, you can say in front my brothers."

Ezra scanned over all four turtles before looking back at Raphael. "I think you're being remarkably stubborn, turtle."

The man looked startled when everyone else _except_ for Raphael laughed.

"That sounds about right for Raphy." Mike chortled.

"_I'm_ stubborn," his older brother said flatly. "_You're _the one who hid stuff from me for no good reason!"

Ezra hesitated before plunging ahead. "There are reasons I responded the way I did to certain 'revelations.' I didn't immediately tell you about Ghyath because I didn't know you, Raphael. It took me a long time to forge an alliance with the elohim, because as you can imagine, a slave doesn't have much to offer.

"I didn't tell you about Donatello and the Matches for a couple of reasons. Like I already said, I couldn't have known you were related. Secondly, due to my inexperience with your…unpredictable temperament, I couldn't be sure how you'd respond to the news that another creature like yourself was in the Matches. I feared you might react…unfavorably."

"You assumed I'd do something stupid," Raphael said accusingly.

"I have witnessed your protective instincts, turtle. I saw you be punished for standing up for a boy you didn't even know. I'm sorry I didn't have more faith in you, but once again, I didn't have experience with you either."

"But when they were coming to spring us, why couldn't you tell me _that_? Did you really think I'd open my big mouth and screw it all up?"

Ezra looked at the ground. "I didn't want to get your hopes up, Raphael. I wasn't certain it would work out, or that the Ruairi would come."

Donatello held up a hand. "Okay, I'm confused. Are the Ruairi leading the show, or is it the elohim?"

"It depends on how you look at it, Donatello," Ezra answered. "Bahri and Ghyath have the inside connections and the knowledge, and the Ruairi seem to give them a back-bone. The Ruairi have boldness and numbers on their side."

"Where _are_ these numbers?" Leonardo asked curiously. "I've spent time in their fortress…and I can't remember there being more than 60 or so."

"The majority of their people are elsewhere; they would not dare risk bringing them all to Zuhur at once, not without a good reason. Their race is so endangered that their troops are stream-lined into small groups. The Ruairi don't do things for other people just to be kind, or because it's the right thing. They act when situations are in _their_ favor."

Ezra paused for a long beat. "I can't tell you how long I've listened to whispers from Ghyath of an elohim/Ruairi rebellion, without any sign that it was coming to pass. I hardly dared to believe they were coming myself, let alone considered telling you. It would have been too disappointing if they hadn't shown up."

The red-masked turtle gazed at him keenly. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

"Because the Ruairi were always _there_, Raphael. Even Bahri and Ghyath fear to speak against them openly. What I have already told you now could be enough to anger them."

"Are you saying they're dangerous?" Donatello asked.

"I'm saying they do things _their_ way, and if there was a disagreement between us, they could pull out completely."

Raphael shook his head. "How are we supposed to work together if none of us trust each other?"

"I don't know that we can, Raphael, but what other choice do I have? I've been a slave for almost my whole life, and I'm surprised I've lasted this long. I can't do it anymore. I can't continue hiding my identity, or serving masters that I _hate_ with all my being. I did my best to present the right picture on the outside, but I was so close to cracking…" Ezra sighed. "I'm ready for this change, even if it ends in my death."

"Death isn't the goal," Leonardo inserted. "I'm hoping we can work together…somehow."

Ezra fixed Raphael with another look. "Give me another chance, turtle."

Raphael didn't answer for a moment before begrudgingly giving in. "I guess the Earthlings gotta stick together, huh?"

Mike smiled broadly. "We have to – we're the only ones bringing anything cool to this group."

From the way Ezra's forehead creased, it was obvious he didn't know what to say to that.

Raphael chuckled as he threw an arm around Mike's neck. "That's typical Mikey for ya. You get used to him."


	45. Warning

_When the turtle came around, he was immediately assaulted by chills before he was aware of anything else. He couldn't remember being so cold, not even in the dead of winter. It took several seconds for him to recognize his constrained position, which felt like being trapped inside of a tunnel._

_He swallowed to control rising panic, and his next instinct was to wrack his brain for information to help him discover where he was and _why_. His memory of events didn't seem clear. _We were in the woods…we were…What were we doing? How did I get _here_?

_The turtle took a deep breath and waited for everything to come back to him. It had been a normal night like any other in North Carolina, including nothing but rest and relaxation. _I know we were outside. I remember Jenna was—

_The thought of his wife spurred the recollection of a startling flash, a light that felt brighter than the sun. _There's nothing else after that, not until—_He pressed his hands against the spherical shaped material confining him and thought of Plexiglas. The space outside of his "prison" was dark, and he couldn't see anything else. A shudder coursed through his shoulders as he tried to figure out where he was again. _No. No, this isn't…What's going on?

_He continued gazing around the space long enough to realize there _were_ more tubes like his. The turtle pressed his forehead against the clear material for a closer look around. No amount of struggling against the surface could gain him a better vantage point._

_Without warning the wall across from him flashed and lit up, displaying several individual pictures in a grid pattern. He leaned forward once more, this time confirming his worst fear with a glimpse of the screens. He saw the familiar faces of his brothers, his friends, Jenna...Shock was the first emotion to take him, and then rage. _I don't care _who's_ got us, if they put one hand on Jenna I'm going to end someone's world.

_Footsteps echoed from another part of the room, but he couldn't tell where they originated from. As they increased in volume, he sensed the individual was coming straight toward him. The turtle caught his breath when the clear top of the tube retracted with a speed that made him flinch. A towering shadow came into view, and he clenched his jaw angrily._

"What are you doing? Where are we? If you hurt—"

"Shh," _a deep voice cut him off mid-rant._ "It is not time to wake up yet."

_He saw something glowing in the stranger's hand, and suddenly felt inexplicably weary, so tired that he could hardly keep his eyes open._

"That is better," _the man said soothingly_. "Go to sleep, terrapin. We have a long way to go yet."

"You took us," _he mumbled weakly._ "Why are we here? It's too cold."

"I apologize that we did not prepare for your physiology appropriately, but that is part of the reason you need to go back to sleep, terrapin."

_Dizziness crashed inside his head so severely he felt like the room was spinning. _"Why did yo…" _He didn't have enough energy to finish the question._

"Relax." _The tall figure touched his neck, guiding his head backward in order to slip something over his face. _"I had to work quickly to come up with something that would fit you properly. Breathe deeply, terrapin, and you should begin to feel warmer before you drop off."

_He wanted to tell the man he no intention of doing what he said, but as something that felt like warmed oxygen was administered through the mask, his lungs automatically gulped it greedily. _I have to fight it. I can't sleep; I don't know what he wants! What will they do with us?

_The man rested a hand under his chin. _"You are a rare and unexpected prize. I look forward to getting to know all of you."

"Leave them _alone_." _The words escaped him under duress._

"Sleep," _his captor ordered. _"There will be plenty of time to talk later_._"

_The man's unnatural violet-blue eyes were both beautiful and sinister, producing a sinking feeling in his stomach. His head drooped as he no longer had the strength to hold it up, lolling backwards against the tube while everything faded out of sight._

* * *

><p>Donatello stirred on the ground, opening his eyes to stare up at the rocky ceiling of their cavern. He looked around for his brothers, comforted by the vision of their sleeping forms. Ezra was on the outskirts of their inner circle, but he didn't see Kamryn. The turtle was just starting to wonder where she was when a quiet rustle near the mouth of the cave caught his attention.<p>

"Hello?" the young woman called uncertainly.

"It's just me, Kamryn," he returned quietly. He got to his feet and silently went to join her.

Her green cat eyes appeared to be glowing for an instant before she stepped out of the shadows. "Are you all right?"

"I was only dreaming."

"Of home?"

He snorted. "Yeah, I wish. Why aren't _you_ asleep?"

She shrugged. "I often struggle to sleep at night. I think some part of me prefers to be nocturnal."

He chuckled. "When we're at home, my brothers and I often play that role. In New York City, that's the time when we come alive."

"After dark," she said thoughtfully. "Because it's not safe for you to be seen?"

Donny shook his head. "No. We have to spend most of our time in hiding."

"And yet you still found love. _All _of you did."

Don smiled. "These things have a way of finding _us_. That's turtle luck for you."

"You'll have to explain that to me."

"It's what we call the magical force of 'destiny' that seems to permeate all of our lives. This is turning into an 'off' year."

"I'm sorry," she said. "The Overlords don't care how many lives they ruin, so long as it furthers their goal. Your family and many others are missing members…and another race is on the brink of extinction, all because of the elohim."

"You're referring to the Ruairi."

She nodded.

"Kamryn…how well do you know these people?"

"I don't really. We've only been with the Ruairi a number of days."

"Have they been nice to you?"

"Yes," she replied. "As different as we are, we have a lot in common too."

Donatello took a deep breath. "Kamryn, I don't know them. I don't see their true heart or motivation, but…can I ask you to be careful?"

"Careful of the Ruairi?"

"It's not fair for me to judge them, but there's something _off _about their people. I don't know what it is, but I don't like the feeling it gives me. Have they ever made you uncomfortable?"

Kamryn hesitated, bowing her head. "Yes," she said finally. "There have been a couple of occasions when I felt…"

"Felt what?"

"Like an exhibit. Their elder, he questioned me for a couple of hours straight tonight, in knowing medical terms. That's why it took me so long to return."

"Kamryn, if you feel like something isn't right, then don't cooperate with them. They have no business asking you those questions."

"He said they might be able to help save me."

"Did it sound like they were concerned for you?"

"I don't know, Donatello. I'd hoped that I finally met some creatures who could identify with the things _I've_ been through, but…My heart isn't settled about the Ruairi either. I tried to tell myself that it was my imagination, that I was fearing the unfamiliar."

"_No_," he said emphatically. "I think it's your gut confirming what your heart already knows. Don't let them probe you, Kamryn, not for any reason."

Her gaze broke away from him. "I'm sure that would be for the best."

A cold breeze cut across the ledge, and the purple-masked turtle tugged his cloak tighter with a shiver. The young woman glanced at him sympathetically.

"I have more of the extract if you want to warm up, Donatello."

"That's okay – I'm not taking yours."

"I'm not cold like you are. Why suffer if you don't have to?"

The drink had been delivered to them after dinner that evening, and effectively raised their core temperatures. Donatello wished he could properly analyze the substance with some hope of reproducing it. He watched Kamryn withdraw a small vial from her satchel and break it open.

"Is there more than one kind of extract?"

"There are several varieties for different medicinal uses…as well as some for pleasure, to produce a giddy feeling in the user."

"Like being drunk?" he suggested.

She nodded again, though he wasn't certain she knew what he meant. "Yes, but the only type I've ever used are grounded in medicine. I tried to give you a variety for pain management after your fight with the ducaz."

He remembered refusing her well. "Sorry about that. I'm hardwired to be leery of unidentified substances. It comes from years of bad experiences with drugs on Earth. I don't know what kind of base the elohim use, but it seems to lean more in our favor."

"Yasir has been working on these chemicals for a long time. He likes to call it…Oh, what is the word he uses? He molds the extracts or serums to fit a variety of physiologies."

"He must start with a naturally occurring substance," Donny said to himself.

Kamryn uncapped a water skin and emptied the vial into the existing liquid. "I think we should both try to get some sleep."

"I agree. Thanks for the drink."

She gave him a small smile in the dim light. "Thanks for the _talk_. I don't have to question what you say, because you are still Virtus, the pure heart."

"Well, listen. I don't want to jump to hasty conclusions over the Ruairi, Kamryn. I just want you to be treated the way you deserve, for once in your life." _And I will fight for it if necessary._

* * *

><p>Late morning of the following day, Donatello took the opportunity to separate from the others for a while. It was easier to think when there was a Lab door to shut and his own equipment to work with. <em>Now I'm struggling with the logistics of building something from scratch with pieces of technology I know nothing about. This could prove to be one of the hardest things I've done yet.<em>

He shook his head with irritation. _I shouldn't be discourage myself before I have a chance to get started. I'm have to talk to the elohim, whether I want to or not. I need to identify all the different types of radio and frequency waves involved in their strange atmosphere. I still think—_

His pondering was interrupted by the soft _swoosh _of wings above him, and he immediately flattened against the side of the mountain. A shadow descended, and a familiar Ruairi landed on the ledge.

"You have reflexes like Leonardo I see," Achaz remarked evenly.

"We were all trained," Donatello said stiffly.

"But you are different too."

"We're individuals, but we're still one team."

"Do you trust your oldest brother, Donatello?"

"Yes," he said at once.

"He is like a leader to your clan."

"He always has been," Don replied warily.

"Leonardo agreed to join forces with us because he was able to put faith in the Ruairi. Is that something you are capable of doing?"

The purple-masked turtle tensed. "Perhaps I could, if I knew you better."

"Yes, we _have_ just met after all…and yet you already turn others against us."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Kamryn is behaving differently this morning than she was last night, or any other night for that matter. She turns a cold shoulder to our approach, and it would not make sense to me, except…I have seen the way she watches _you_, Donatello, looking to your lead."

"Kamryn doesn't need me or anyone _else_ to tell her what to do."

"You said something to her," Achaz accused bluntly.

"You and your 'elder' made her uncomfortable with the medical interrogation," he retorted. "If she's pulling away, it's because _you_ freaked her out."

"We may be able to _help_ her. You do not understand what the Overlords have done—"

"Yes I do," Donatello cut in. "We talked about it weeks ago. I know she can't survive without their intervention."

"Then why would you seek to hinder us?"

"I'm not hindering anyone! I told her to be careful and go with her gut."

"Would you try to claim this young woman for yourself because you are cut off from your wife?"

Donny caught the Ruairi by his bronze tunic and spun him around to force his back against the mountain. "I love _Jenna_, and I will get her back. As far as Kamryn is concerned, no, I don't trust your motivation. You're welcome to prove me wrong, but let me warn you, Achaz. If you so much as _breathe_ wrong in her direction, I'll take you apart. Are we clear?"

Once the alien got over the initial shock, his face hardened. "She is not your property."

"It's _her_ choice, Achaz. If she wants to come to you, she will. In the meantime, keep your hands to yourself, or you'll regret it."


	46. Right

Michelangelo was surprised when his purple-masked brother stalked into the cavern, obviously fuming. "Bro? What happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he returned, with a tone that suggested anything _but_. Donatello scanned their surroundings as if looking for something. "Where's Kamryn?"

"She left with Raph and Ezra a little while ago. Do you need her for something?" Leonardo asked curiously.

"No – I just wanted to make sure she wasn't alone."

The blue-masked turtle's expression was concerned. "Don, tell us what happened."

"Nothing _happened_; Achaz and I had words, that's all."

Mike cocked his head. "Had words like an argument?"

His brother dropped onto a blanket to his left. "He hunted me down," Donatello muttered.

Leo sat up further. "What was it about? Did it have something to do with Kamryn?"

"It had _everything_ to do with her."

"Why would Achaz track you down like that?" Michelangelo wondered.

"Because he thinks I have some 'special power' over Kamryn. She and I had a talk about the amount of attention the Ruairi are paying to her, but all I did was tell her to be careful."

Leo's eye-ridges rose. "Of the Ruairi?"

"Something isn't right with them," Donny acknowledged. "I don't like the way Achaz looks at her."

"What kind of look? I've never noticed anything in particular," Leonardo said honestly.

"Like he's _hungry_, Leo. And you remember what Ezra said last night. The Ruairi don't get involved unless it serves their own purpose."

Leonardo shifted awkwardly. "I assumed they shared a connection with Kamryn based on their similar backgrounds. Achaz has never threatened her, at least…not to my knowledge."

"They made _her_ feel uncomfortable too, Leo. The Ruairi were delving into her medical history and asking a ton of questions they had no business prying into."

"How did you leave off with him?"

Donatello bristled. "After he accused me of wanting Kamryn because I don't have Jen? The terms weren't friendly, Leo."

The blue-masked turtle winced. "We have to fix this. If we don't work as a team, there may not be hope for us at all."

"Be my guest," Don said stiffly. "But leave me out of it. If I speak to that arrogant windbag again today, I'll probably only make things worse."

Leonardo reached to grasp his shoulder. "Hey, I'm on _your_ side, Don, don't misunderstand me. I'm not defending Achaz, but I don't want to be divided with the Ruairi either."

"I don't know what to tell you, Leo."

The oldest turtle sighed heavily. "I guess some space with the Ruairi wouldn't hurt, but you're not going to get mad if I talk to him, are you?"

"I'm not writing off their entire race, Leo, but I don't trust them. I'm not sure if I ever will."

"I need to say something, though, especially if he ambushed you. Is that what it felt like?"

"Achaz definitely wanted me alone. Maybe he's not all bad, but the encounter wasn't encouraging. I wouldn't say anything about it right now if I were you."

Leonardo still looked troubled. "I'm going to mull this over for a bit," he said finally, climbing to his feet.

When the blue-masked turtle left, Mike repositioned closer to Donatello and gave his brother a disarming smile. "So…did you get any thinking done?"

"Some. Everything I need to figure out is still buzzing in the back of mind, but I need to know if we still _have_ our implants before I can build something to track them."

"How will you find out if Yasir touched them?"

"The elohim likely have technology that could scan for it…or if not, I'll have to check manually."

Mike grimaced distastefully. "Are you talking about cutting someone open?"

"Not you, Mikey." He grinned. "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Do you think the beacons would still work if Yasir left them alone?"

Donatello shrugged. "I won't know for sure unless I try. They're designed to operate over a certain type of radio waves. If they _are_ transmitting, there's no telling where the signal ended up."

"Well, if anyone can figure this out, it's you, Donny. I can only imagine how bored _you _were locked up. It must have been torture."

"Some it was, but Kamryn was there too, for the most part. She helped keep me sane."

Mike hesitated a moment. He wasn't sure if he should bring up the Ruairi, but he needed to ask a question. "What do you think Achaz wants from her?"

"I don't know. Maybe nothing. Maybe they're just commiserating over their common fate. I may have spoken up and spooked her for no reason."

Mike shook his head. "Donny, if they're giving you the creeps, there's probably a good reason. But what's this common _fate_ you're talking about?"

His brother gazed straight ahead. "They're all dying. I don't know why the Ruairi are going extinct, but that's the reason they followed the elohim to Zuhur. It was some kind of genetic experiment gone awry."

"_Kamryn's _dying?"

"Yes," he said softly. "It's only a matter of time for her. She was also on the receiving end of some bad genetics, and her health suffers for it. Without regular medical intervention from Yasir, she won't survive."

"B…but wait. What about that Bahri guy? You might not like him, Donny, but he seems to know about drugs and stuff."

Donny exhaled. "It's not that simple, Mikey. This isn't administering an infusion. It's manipulating DNA and stem cells. I was told their genetic technology is more closely guarded than anything else in Arcadia. Bahri said there are probably only one or two individuals besides Yasir with the knowledge to run a genetic Lab. They protect their information as their highest valuable."

Mike was quiet for a beat. "I'm sorry, Donny."

"I feel sorry for _her_. Kamryn was born on this wretched planet and never had a family or anyone who truly cared about her. Now she doesn't even mind that she's going to die."

Michelangelo didn't know what to say. "It's not over yet," he told him weakly.

"Maybe not. Perhaps the Ruairi _can_ help her…but if they can't save themselves, I don't see how they'll make a difference for her."

* * *

><p>Mike already felt like the walls of the cave were closing in, though they'd only been using it for a short time. His general lack of energy wasn't helping matters. He wanted to get off the mountain and explore the valley below them, but he didn't have the strength to go far. He'd gotten to take a short jaunt with Donatello and Kamryn earlier that afternoon, but his brother pulled him back when he got dizzy.<p>

Now it was close to nightfall, and Mike's stomach was growling. _What I wouldn't give for a decent meal. I don't think it exists on this planet. These people wouldn't know real food if it hit them in the face. _He snickered softly. _But that'd be a fun way to introduce them._

Michelangelo turned away from the entrance, focusing on Raphael and Ezra sitting nearby instead. The Irishman's sensible side had broken down some of the red-masked turtle's defenses, and he'd been a fixture with them ever since.

"Mike, would you bring your shell over here and put something on? It's getting cold." Raphael's tone was gruff to hide his protectiveness, but Mike still smiled.

The orange-masked turtle retrieved the heavier lined cloak he hadn't needed earlier that day, and settled down with them by the strange glow of the fire. Mike noticed Ezra gaze and rested his arms across his knees casually. "You've been here a long time, right? Do you know where they hide the real food on this rock?"

The man chuckled. "It leaves something to be desired, doesn't it? I think the Overlords eat better than everyone else, but _all_ of it is manipulated or fortified somehow. True food in its whole form is eaten by a rare few, because we can only grow a limited number of crops. It wasn't always this bad. I can remember when the land produced enough to feed most of the elohim at least. Now the majority of it is chemically engineered."

"Do you remember Earth?" Mike asked.

Ezra gave him a sad smile. "Every year, I think I remember less. Somethings I don't think I'll ever forget, but others…I can't conjure up the memory of scents anymore. The smell of the earth, my mother's baking, or my father's cigars. I tell myself that my life wasn't a dream, my home was real, but it hardly feels like it."

"Would you go back if you had the chance?" Mike ventured. "Maybe that's a stupid question."

"It's not stupid, Michelangelo. The truth is, I don't know what I'd do. I don't want to be under the Overlords, but I've been gone from Earth for so long, I doubt I could live a normal life. It's almost like…I know too much. I could try to settle down and pretend the last thirty years didn't happen, but they did. That time is gone, and I can't get it back."

"You wouldn't want to see your family?" Raphael persisted.

"I probably don't have one, Raphael. My parents were in their forties when I disappeared. They may not be around anymore."

"But they could be." Raphael frowned. "Don't you think _they'd_ want to see you again?"

Ezra shrugged. "That dream has been dead for a long time. When I was a boy, it was one of the only things I thought about. For the first time in decades I am a free man…but it doesn't feel how I expected. In a sense, I'm still a prisoner here on Zuhur, and then there's the larger picture to be considered."

"How to get home?" Mike suggested.

The man shook his head. "Truthfully? That thought has not bothered me so much as the condition of the other slaves. They're no longer in sight, but it doesn't stop me from thinking about them. Even if the Overlords could be defeated, there's no telling what would happen to the humans. Many lives have been forever changed. We'll never be the same, no matter what happens."

Raphael folded his arms. "But any life that doesn't include being a slave has to be better, doesn't it?"

Ezra took a deep breath. "It's difficult to trust that either the Ruairi or the elohim care about the well-being of the slaves for the long-term. I can be a voice for them because of my current proximity with this team, but I don't know how much good it will do. Sometimes it seems that nothing I do will matter."

"Standing up for the _right_ thing matters." Raphael struck his fist against his other palm emphatically. "Win or lose, that'll always be the best choice."

The Irishman sighed. "The thought of winning is remote."

"Then what are you doing here, Ezra?" the red-masked turtle challenged.

"I'm not sure. I suppose I couldn't take another ten years of slavery to the Overlords…and I figured doing _something_ had to be better than nothing."

"You got that right," Mike inserted. "You can't win if you don't try. Me and my brothers are here together. Do you know how impossible _that_ felt a few days ago?"

Ezra smiled as he looked between the two turtles. "I'm glad for that, if nothing else. I hope the elohim can get you home."

Mike sighed anxiously and made eye contact with his brother. "Failure isn't an option. We _have_ to get home."

Raphael winced. "Even if it kills us."

"Hold on to that drive, turtles," Ezra told them. "Nothing about this is going to be easy, but if your stubbornness is any indication, I think you just might do it."

"We have a lot of motivation," Raphael murmured. "There are people waiting on the other side, counting on us to come home."

"And we don't have a lot of time to waste," Mike added. "We've got little ones growing up without us."

"Don't start, Mike," Raphael said in a low voice.

"Sorry, Raphy," he half-whispered.

His brother heaved a giant breath. "Something's gotta give," he proclaimed. "How much are we supposed to take?"

The orange-masked turtle gripped his shoulder lightly, but didn't answer.

"I mean…can you imagine if Splinter had up and disappeared when _we _were kids? When I think about how that'd feel, I don't wanna sit here. I don't want to relax when we should be _doing _something."

"We would have been in a lot of trouble, Bro. But the one thing I can say is that Liv and Nate have their moms and the rest of the family to support them. It's not the same thing as if we were there, but they're not alone. Our girls can handle them," Mike replied quietly.

"I know they can, and they _will_. They're tough as nails, every one of them. But they shouldn't have to do it alone, and I don't want them too. I just want our lives back." He looked at Ezra suddenly. "How did you deal with this, only being a kid when the Overlords took you? I can't picture what that musta been like, being ripped away from your family and stuck serving those stupid Overlords."

"I didn't have a choice," he said honestly. "I had to survive. When I was young, I used to tell myself stories to help make sure I wouldn't forget where I came from, or the people I loved. As years passed, that practice went by the wayside. I don't want to say I gave up trying to remember, but I think part of me did. It got to the point where the stories were depressing instead of encouraging."

"But you don't think you'd wanna go back to Earth?"

"I don't know how to answer that," he replied. "I'm in such a quandary over my sudden freedom. Maybe it makes you think worse of me, but I feel very confused right now."

"I don't blame you for being confused," Raphael said quickly. "You've had a rotten life here, and maybe you never expected things to change. How are you supposed to know what to do?"

The Irishman smiled. "In the meantime, I hope you don't mind me tagging along with you."

Mike chuckled. "While we're tagging along with the Ruairi? Or is the elohim?"

Raphael balled his fists. "Only thing I can say for sure is that the guys who took us are gonna be sorry."

"I'd love to play a role in that," Ezra said with an edge.

"Sure, Man, I already know you swing a mean pick-ax." Raphael smirked. "Those Overlords will go down easier than the hard rock did."

"They always do in my dreams, Raphael; at least in the good ones." Ezra grinned.

Mike laughed. _How can they _not_ be sorry?_


	47. Friendly

Michelangelo stared at the off-putting substance in his bowl, feeling like his appetite had suddenly run for the hills. He nearly put it down, when he noticed Donatello watching him out of the corner of his eye. He gave the purple-masked turtle an innocent smile.

"You're not getting up until you've eaten it all, Mikey, sorry. I know their food isn't any good, but you won't regain strength by skipping meals," Donny told him.

Mike made a face. "I just don't get it. They're supposed to be so advanced, but they can't make decent tasting food? Sounds like a crock to me."

Donatello gave him a wry smile. "Keep reminding yourself this is only temporary."

Mike nodded, unwilling to display a hint of doubt. "Things could always be worse, couldn't they?"

Raphael groaned loudly in the background. "I _know_ you didn't say that, Mikey. That's like inviting a lightning bolt to drop out of the sky."

The orange-masked turtle shrugged. "That's pretty unlikely, isn't it? It hardly rains here."

"Doesn't mean you can't jinx us, bonehead. Between your mouth and Brandon's, it's a wonder we have any luck at all," Raphael complained.

Mike exhaled at the thought of the bronze-haired man, and Raphael's expression falter too.

Donatello cleared his throat with obvious discomfort. "It's probably safe to say Bran is better off now than he was with the Akiudo. They might work him hard, but the elohim want him in good health, don't they?"

Raphael nodded bleakly. "The labor is no joke, but we didn't go hungry. Jazz is the one I'm worried about the most, as far as what they're doing with her."

Mike felt his stomach churn at the possibilities and set his bowl down. "I can't, Donny. I think I'd throw up."

His older brother gave him an appraising glance before taking the food away. "You can try again later," Donny said. "I'm not letting you lose any more weight out here."

"Being stuck on this planet would be a great diet plan for someone who wants to."

"_Mikey_."

"I know, okay? I'm not gonna starve on you, Donny. You won't let that happen."

The purple-masked turtle shook his head. "Not on my watch."

Michelangelo glanced outside their circle, resting on Kamryn's sleeping form. _I hope we aren't bugging her. Gotta remember to keep it down. _"Did Leo say when he was coming back?"

Raphael looked toward the entrance of the cavern. "He didn't give me a time-frame, but it's been a while, hasn't it? Maybe I ought to go hunting for him.

"Give him a little more time," Donny encouraged. "Getting answers out of the elohim can't be easy."

"I shoulda gone with him," the red-masked turtle muttered. "I bet I could make them open their mouths."

"He wants to make nice, not make things worse." Mike snorted.

Raphael waved off the statement. "Bahri deserved what he got from Leo, and then some. He's lucky Donny was out of it at the time." He nudged Donatello's arm.

Don sighed. "It wouldn't help, Raph. Exploding on someone doesn't do it for me. It won't change what happened."

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you're too level-headed, Donny."

"I wasn't too 'level-headed' with Achaz," he objected. "I was two seconds away from strangling him. He crossed a line, but even with that…I probably shouldn't have put my hands on him. We need to cooperate with these people."

The red-masked turtle shook his head. "I don't think we need these aliens as badly as you all do."

"Raph, we don't even speak their language!"

"Who needs words when you've got fists?" Raphael retorted.

Mike chuckled. "I like the way _Raph_ is thinking."

"Technically speaking, so do I," Donatello allowed. "But that doesn't mean we can act independently. We don't even do that at home anymore. How long's it been since we pulled off a large-scale mission without the help of our extended team?"

Raphael crossed his arms. "Yeah, I guess that's true, but we can _trust_ our people. We still don't have a clue about these aliens. Maybe they're good-hearted and want to make things right, and then again, maybe there are rainbows and unicorns waiting to carry us off to some happy place. I ain't holding my breath for either. If we're going to get things done, I think we'll have to do a lot of it ourselves."

No one said anything for a few moments, and Mike peered at Kamryn again. "Is she okay, Donny? You don't think we're bothering her, do you?"

Donatello glanced at the young woman too. "I think she's okay, Mike; at least, I hope she is. I don't know anything about the condition of her DNA. Kamryn has trouble sleeping at night, but it doesn't seem like we're keeping her up. She probably wouldn't tell me, even if we were."

The orange-masked turtle winced. "I feel bad, Donny. There has to be something we can do."

His brother looked away, but it didn't hide the flash of grief that passed Donny's face. "If there is anything I could do, I wouldn't hesitate…even if it means cooperating with the elohim."

"Well, none of us are gonna get anywhere by staying in this cave," Mike said impishly, trying to lighten the mood. "When do we get to gear up for action?"

"_You're_ not seeing action again until you do some serious eating," Don said warningly.

"Isn't there some rule that you're supposed to be nicer to people when they're under the weather?" Mike wondered. "You and Doc always skip over that."

Donatello was about to say something when a shadow fell across the entrance to their cavern, and Leonardo slipped inside. The blue-masked turtle nodded a greeting.

"What's the deal, Leo?" Raphael got to his feet. "Any idea when we're splitting? Nobody's getting any younger."

"Tomorrow morning," Leonardo replied.

"Seriously?" Mike wanted to get up too, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. "Where are we going?"

"The most reasonable thing to do is return to the Ruairis' mountain fortress. From there we can determine our battle plan and hopefully find the components you need to design something, Don." Leonardo held the purple-masked turtle's gaze. "Achaz wants to talk to you. I wasn't sure if you'd be up for it, but…"

Donatello grunted in irritation. "But we have to be friends. I'm open to talking, Leo, but if his attitude hasn't changed, I don't know how far we'll get."

"He wants to come by later this evening. Are you okay with that?"

"Do I have a choice?" Donny snorted.

"We got your back no matter what, Genius," Raphael inserted.

"I'll try to be nice to him," Donatello agreed. "But I'm not going to falter on the Kamryn issue," he added more quietly.

Mike patted his brother's shell reassuringly. "We won't stand by and let someone take advantage of her either, Donny." He looked at Leonardo. "So we're only hanging out here a little longer."

Leo nodded. "How are _you_ feeling, Mike?"

"I could almost go for a run." Michelangelo grinned. At Donatello's scoffing sound, his smile only grew. "Just thinking positively, Bro."

"How about trying to _eat_?"

"There's nothing positive about their food, except that it hasn't killed me yet."

"I'm with you, Mikey, but you gotta think of it like medicine," Raphael said shortly.

Michelangelo smiled at the red-masked turtle's veiled concern. "Just think, guys. We're gonna get some amazing stories out of this trip, huh?"

Leonardo sank to the ground beside him. "I'm holding out hope for that, Mike, and you should too."

"Going to their fancy fortress has to be better than sitting around," Mike said. "Are you sure they don't wanna leave now? 'Cause I'm game for that."

"You just wanna get your shell back on that air ship." Raphael smirked.

"You gotta admit it's cool, Raphy."

"No, Mike, going _home_ would be cool. They can keep their toys, and leave me out of it. I just wanna get off this stupid rock."

"Hear, hear," Donatello offered. "Every step we take gets us closer to that goal. The sooner we leave, the better."

* * *

><p>Donatello felt antsy. Knowing that Achaz was coming to talk to them when they finished dinner made the purple-masked turtle want to eat more slowly. <em>You're going to have to deal with him sooner or later. I mean, Leo attacked Bahri for Pete's sake. He went to the trouble of patching things up with the elohim, and now I have to take my turn. But at the same time...<em>

Donny made eye contact with Ezra. He'd asked the Irishman to make Kamryn scarce around the time the Ruairi would be coming so they could speak more freely. _I don't want her to feel like we're fighting over her. That won't help._

Ezra blinked and glanced furtively in the young woman's direction. Don nodded and the man got to his feet. "I'm going to meet Bahri before it gets any later. Are you coming, Kamryn?"

She cast a look at Donatello and he hardly refrained from wincing. _She knows I'm just trying to get rid of her._

Kamryn turned to Ezra. "I suppose there's no better time."

As the humans left, Donatello sighed inwardly. _Oh well. I hope she knows it's for her own good. _He'd made it through about three-quarters of his broth, but he realized he wasn't going to be able to finish it. He set his bowl down and checked to make sure Mike was eating a sufficient amount.

His younger brother cast him a famous Cheshire smile. "I was a good boy, Donny, see?"

He nodded approvingly at his brother's empty bowl. "Are you tired?"

"Yes and no. I could sleep, but I'm excited about leaving too."

Don shook his head. "You'd probably be bouncing off the walls if you could."

"All in good time, Bro, all in good time."

The purple-masked turtle glanced around for his older brothers, realizing how quiet they'd been. "You guys don't have much to say tonight."

"There are a lot of things on our minds," Leo answered. The blue-masked turtle exchanged a meaningful glance with Raphael, and the other turtle looked irritated.

_Huh. I wonder what that's about. I don't like the thought of them hiding something—_

Donny's thought cut short when he heard the distinct sound of wings. He swallowed while he stood up, right before Achaz ducked through the entrance. The Ruairi smiled disarmingly, in a way that Donatello _almost _believed.

"Please, sit down," Achaz urged.

Donatello slowly crossed his legs underneath him, but never took his eyes off the alien.

"I have come to offer an apology for my behavior yesterday, Donatello," Achaz told him. "I realize I touched on a sensitive subject with your wife, and I was wrong. I spoke with you out of frustration. For years the Overlords have spoken evil of my race with no excuse, and turned others against us. I felt defensive, and I overreacted to your protectiveness of Kamryn."

The explanation sounded reasonable and Donny wanted to accept it, but it was difficult. _I have to say something in return. Whether I like it or not, I have to deal with him. _"I may have overreacted too," he said, though he wasn't positive he meant it. "I'm in a rough state of mind."

Achaz nodded gravely, and then turned to look around the circle of turtles. "But you have your brothers, and it speaks to your ability to recover." The Ruairi shrugged the strap of a bag off his shoulder. "Bahri requested that I bring these to you since I was coming." Achaz withdrew a number of flasks and passed them out. "We are in for another cold night, so he included the extract. Please make sure Ezra and Kamryn get one too."

Leonardo nodded as he accepted a skin from him. "We will. It's been working exceptionally well, hasn't it, Don?"

"Yes, it has," Donatello replied. "I'd love to be able to recreate it. I have a formula we use at home when our temperatures drop too far, but _this_ extract doesn't let them fall in the first place."

Achaz smiled. "You would have to talk to the elohim– it is their specialty. Get some good rest tonight," he said with a note of finality.

"Are you leaving?" Raphael asked.

"My people are waiting to hear from me," Achaz said apologetically. The Ruairi scanned the circle once more, and lingered on Donatello. "I will see you all in the morning."

"Good night." Donatello tried to force warmth into his voice, but it didn't come across. He felt Leonardo's gaze before the alien had even left the cavern.

The blue-masked turtle took a deep breath. "Are you okay, Don?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked sarcastically.

When Leonardo didn't respond, Donny smiled reassuringly. "It's going to take some time, Leo. I just need to get to know him."

The blue-masked turtle relaxed at his words, but grimaced when he took a sip from his flask. "I don't see why it has to be so sweet."

"You're missing your tea," Don said knowingly.

"As much as you miss your caffeine fix?"

Donatello shook his head. "I seriously doubt it's possible." He turned his attention to his own water-skin, and was puzzled by how flimsy the leather felt in his hand. As he fingered the material curiously, the container burst open with a miniature explosion. "What the shell…?" He whipped off his drenched cloak in frustration.

"What happened, Donny?" Mike asked.

"I don't know – the skins aren't made to last forever, I'm sure. The contraction the leather experiences between the difference of day and nighttime temperatures probably attributes to the break down."

"I know I saw a couple more skins around here," Leonardo mentioned, rising from the ground. He returned to their fire circle a few moments later, and transferred liquid from his own container. "Here, Don. Maybe this one will hold up for you."

Donatello glanced inside the skin after taking it from Leonardo. "This is way more than half of yours, Leo."

"I've got plenty. Besides, if something _does _go wrong, the elohim have more extract, right?"

"Yes, but I don't like to tempt the fates. You just don't want to take _your_ medicine," he teased.

"You couldn't be more right," Leo replied.

Donatello chuckled. "This from our fearless leader. Do I have to force-feed you along with Mikey?"

"Who's force-feeding me?" Mike piped up. "I ate my whole dinner without any of your help."

"That's right, Mike, and you need to keep up the good work. Apparently Leo wants to be my next project."

The red-masked turtle snickered. "We need _someone_ to play the mother-hen role. You wear it well, Donny."

Donatello set his cloak to the side to dry off and took a long sip from his flask. "Someone has to be tough. You could try taking a turn, Raph."

"Shell no, Donny, I gotta save something for you and Doc to be good at."

Donatello smirked. "Can you imagine how Doc would react if I took home some of this alien technology with us? He'd flip out."

"I can picture it, Don," Leo said. "We're going to get there."

Donny took another drink, relishing the welcome warmth the extract provided. _I hope so, Leo. I sure hope so._


	48. Deceit

***Don't bother looking - you won't find me.**

* * *

><p>Leonardo stirred groggily without knowing why. He rolled his head to escape the uncomfortable position in which his neck was trapped, and heard soft footsteps. The blue-masked turtle opened bleary eyes and tried to make out his surroundings. The cavern was dark except for the faint light of a torch, which appeared to be glowing a greenish color. <em>That looks so strange. Am I awake? <em>

Leonardo started to pinch himself, but was distracted by the lean shadows of two Ruairi. _What on earth are they doing in here? _He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't find his voice. Instead he squinted harder into the darkness and realized that one of the aliens was carrying a blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms.

Leo silently tracked them with his gaze as they moved toward the entrance to the cave, and jolted when he saw a human arm flop out of the blanket. The small hand made it simple for the turtle to determine the identity of who was being carried outside. _What are they doing with Kamryn?_

He waited until the Ruairi exited the cave before trying to sit up. Leonardo was surprised by the effort it took to gain his feet. His equilibrium was so off kilter that he almost fell when he ventured his first step, and nausea tinged in his stomach. The turtle braced a hand against the side of the tunnel and took a couple of deep breaths to try and control the unpleasant sensations.

Confusion reigned while he continued a couple more steps on ponderous legs that seemed to be dragging him down. Leonardo focused on putting one foot in front of the other until he crossed into the night air. He blinked rapidly at the sight of several torches filling the valley below. Leo stared in bewilderment for several seconds, before remembering he needed to follow the two Ruairi who had Kamryn.

Leonardo's brow creased as they took flight. He watched their torchlight descend, drawing his cloak tighter against the cold. He shivered involuntarily while he started down the incline of the path, with the vague feeling he was sleepwalking. Yet despite the strong sense of unreality, he knew he wasn't dreaming by now.

The turtle _needed_ to maintain some cover from the aliens he was trailing, but he soon found that he couldn't move smoothly in the strangely weakened state. _What's happening to me? Sure it's the middle of the night, but shell. It shouldn't be this difficult._

Leonardo stumbled as he pushed himself harder and his breath caught in his chest. _Okay, faster isn't going to work. Easy does it, Leo. _He traced a hand against the rock face, leaning against it for support.

It felt like it took forever to get to the bottom, but when he arrived on the edge of the valley, Leonardo stood rooted to the spot. The perplexing image of the Ruairi in various stages of packing made him forget about the aliens he was _supposed_ to be hunting down.

"Leonardo," Achaz greeted from behind the turtle.

Leo spun dangerously fast and had to raise his arms to steady himself. "Achaz. What's going on? What are your men doing? You said we were leaving in the morning."

The alien sighed softly. "You had to complicate things."

"_Complicate_ things?" he repeated in disbelief. "What's that supposed to mean? Two of your men came to our cave and took Kamryn. What are they _doing_ with her?"

"I wish you had not done this." Achaz nodded at the Ruairi on either side of him.

Leonardo's eye-ridges rose when the two aliens advanced. He automatically brought up his arms defensively and tried to back away. His uneven balance coupled with his haste caused the turtle to trip and almost lose his footing. The Ruairi "rescued" him with a grip that felt anything but friendly.

The blue-masked turtle glared at the two of them in turn. "Let me _go!_"

"Not as light on your feet as usual." Achaz shook his head. "If you had finished the draught, you would have experienced a much more comfortable night."

"What did you do to us?" Leonardo demanded. "Why are you leaving _now_? Can you give me one straight answer?"

"I certainly can, Leonardo," Achaz said patiently. "I only thought it would make the separation easier to do things this way. But since you are here, you will get the answers you seek." He nodded at Leonardo's captors once more. "Come."

Leonardo struggled with the arms of steel that the Ruairi suddenly seemed to possess, and one obvious answer occurred to him. "You _drugged_ us."

Achaz smiled. "You do catch on."

The turtle resisted the urge to snarl at him, barely. "Tell your men to get their hands off me!"

"If you want any satisfaction, you should not bother fighting," Achaz said maddeningly.

Leonardo's eyes narrowed as his feet left the ground. His captors ignored his burning gaze, obediently following Achaz further into the valley. Chills washed over the turtle anew while he tried to look back at the mountain. _They drugged us. My God, I can't believe I was this stupid. I can't _believe_ I trusted them so blindly! The guys had _better_ be okay. And Kamryn…_

"What are you doing with Kamryn?"

"Patience, Leonardo. We are not quite there yet."

Leonardo shut his mouth angrily and gazed around at the hive of activity. He wasn't prepared for the sudden jerk as his Ruairi guards yanked him to a halt. A wave of sadness rushed over him when Achaz's gold-rimmed eyes stared him down.

"I don't understand this," Leonardo said evenly. "What have we been doing here? Why did you help to begin with, if you were only going to abandon us in the wilderness? Did something change? Did we do some—"

Achaz held up a hand to cut him off. "We harbor no ill will toward you or your brothers, Leonardo. This is not related to anything you have done."

"Then _why_ are you doing this?"

"Do you realize the precautions we are forced to take since our race has no ability to procreate?" the alien asked.

Leonardo blinked in surprise, unwilling to admit he didn't _know_ they weren't capable of having young.

"We only take calculated risks that are meant to advance our kind, and try not to reach beyond our means. We had a common goal with you to achieve against the Annunaki, and the mission is complete. Our business is concluded."

"Just like that?" Leonardo shook his head. "You couldn't even take the time to say something? Your answer is to drug us and run away in the middle of the night? How does that make _any_ sense?"

"We thought a clean break was the best solution for all of us."

"I see," the turtle's tone flattened. "And whatever you want from Kamryn doesn't have anything to do with it?"

"That young woman will be better off with us than she was with the Annunaki."

"She's not an animal you can _claim_. Kamryn deserves to make her own choice to follow you!"

"Do you believe _you_ know what is best for this girl?" Achaz challenged. "You behave as if you could simply adopt her. Kamryn has lived her entire life on this miserable planet without being exposed to any of the environmental factors on Earth. She could not adapt to a life outside of the medical intervention that only advanced technology can provide for her."

"That doesn't mean you can just _take_ her!" Leonardo shot back. "I don't know if she'd want to go home with us or not, but I wouldn't remove her choice in the matter. Don't you realize stealing her this way is no different than how the _Overlords_ kidnap people?"

"It is not the same thing, Leonardo, and we are nothing like the Annunaki," Achaz insisted.

"No, YOU pretend to be friendly when it's convenient, and set yourselves up to be the 'good' guys, when you're only concerned for your own skin. You're not like the Annunaki – you're _worse_. I'll take outright evil over betrayal any day!"

Achaz's backhand connected with Leonardo's cheek in the first display of true emotion. "It is the Annunaki's fault we are _in_ this situation! Their fault that our future hangs by a thread! You cannot compare us to them."

Leonardo clenched his jaw as he tried to regain some reason in his voice. "If you want to abandon us here, that's your call. But you've got no right to spirit Kamryn away without her consent. If you don't want to be compared to the Annunaki, then don't act like them! Let her go. She's nothing to you."

"She could be _everything_ to us, Leonardo, and that is not something we can afford to lose. Kamryn is far too enamored with your paranoid counterpart to consider leaving him," Achaz returned coldly.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my brother that way!" Leonardo commanded fiercely. "If Don's paranoid it's because every alien he's ever met turned out to be a monster. You're no exception!"

Achaz's left hand moved so quickly that Leonardo thought he was going to strike him again, but the alien caught him by the chin instead. "I can show you what separates us from the monsters, Leonardo. It all comes down to the measure of my control."

Leonardo gasped as what felt like tiny daggers unexpectedly pierced his jawline, and stared in astonishment when Achaz withdrew the taloned fingers of his left hand from his skin.

"You did not think they were decoration, did you?" Achaz sounded amused. "No, they serve a purpose. You do not feel it yet, but you will in a moment."

Before Leonardo could ask what he meant, the pulsing pain from the talon's penetration changed to a burn that traveled down the surface of his throat.

"We are capable of producing a highly effective neurotoxin," Achaz explained. "In the right dose it is absolutely lethal, but I barely broke a few layers of your epidermis. I meant what I said, Leonardo. I harbor no ill will toward you, and I did not want to hurt you. I am sorry it had to end this way."

The blue-masked turtle gritted his teeth as he summoned what strength he could find. "I'm sorry too."

Without warning Leonardo rammed his knee into Achaz's gut as hard as he could, and was rewarded by the alien's startled wheeze. He head-butted the Ruairi guard on his right, jerking away from him when the creature stumbled backwards. The other Ruairi held onto him doggedly, and Leonardo spun into the alien as hard as he could.

The maneuver succeeded in freeing him from their grasp, but the amount of exertion required to pull it off was too much. The futility of fighting dawned on him strongly as Leonardo collapsed to one knee.

Someone descended on top of him before he had the chance to catch his breath, and the turtle rolled to to try and displace the alien. He ran into another's feet, and the combined force of both Ruairi flattened him into the sand.

The motion of being yanked to his feet made his head spin. He had a fraction of an instant to see a fist coming before it snapped his head back. Amidst follow-up blows he was overcome by the painful sensation of talons burying into his right shoulder and not letting go. The burn traveled all the way through his arm, but he was more disturbed when the limb went numb.

"Enough, Rashan!" Achaz commanded, stepping in front of Leonardo.

The turtle groaned when Rashan withdrew his talons from his shoulder, breathing heavily as he faced his "friend".

Achaz sighed. "Why did you make us do that, Leonardo? What was the point?"

"Kamryn—" he gasped.

"She is no longer your concern." Achaz motioned behind him to the lone tree. "Bind him please," he told his men.

Leonardo bit back a cry as he was dragged to the trunk.

"Do not struggle, Leonardo," Achaz advised him. "You must remember how easy it would be to hurt yourself."

Leo grimaced distastefully while his arms were tied in a familiar fashion. Only the knowledge that fighting could cause his shoulders to dislocate made him hold his peace.

"Achaz, I _know_ something else is going on here," he persisted.

"As I already told you, Kamryn is not your problem."

"You're not who I thought you were," the turtle said bitterly. "I'm madder at myself than anyone else."

"I never claimed to be your friend, Leonardo. I did not kill you when I could have—"

"I didn't kill _you_ when I could have!" Leonardo said vehemently. "What about my brothers?"

"What about them?" Achaz shrugged. "They will spend the evening warmer than you will. You brought this upon yourself. I cannot say whether the second dose of the neurotoxin will kill you or not."

A strange weariness that had nothing to do with the late hour weighed Leonardo down as the Ruairi finished lashing his arms to the low-hanging branches. The mere act of keeping his eyes open was an exercise in willpower.

"You are truly feeling it," Achaz said knowingly. "You will suffer more for trying to fight, but you _are_ strong. I hope you will be all right, Leonardo."

"Like you care either way?" he murmured weakly.

"You are better off without us, terrapin. It will be easier for you and your brothers to avoid notice if you travel alone. Take this second chance you have been offered, and flee with all haste."

The turtle raised his eyes to glare at Achaz. "We have no intention of fleeing."

"Do you still think you can rescue your human friends? It would be suicide to try. The best thing for you to do is try to hold onto your _own_ lives."

"Now you listen to me, Ruairi," Leonardo said sternly. "We're not cowards or traitors. We're ninja. We don't abandon our loved ones, and we _don't_ run away. It doesn't matter whether you help us or not. We _will_ save our friends and find some way to get home, or we'll die trying. There's no other option." _And so help me God, if there's any chance we can get Kamryn out of your clutches, we'll catch up with you too, _he added inwardly.

"Of any alien I have met, Leonardo, you are by far the most unique. In another time and place, we could have been allies."

"You've already decided your direction," the turtle snapped. "Stop trying to soften the blow. It's not going to work."

"Very well, terrapin. Then I have nothing left to say."

Leonardo watched helplessly whilethe Ruairi resumed their work, until the weight of his eyes became too much to bear. A chill descended stronger as he succumbed, and his only fleeting comfort was that he wouldn't have to feel it much longer.


	49. Betrayal

Bahri felt like he was hyperventilating as he rushed off the air ship. He looked around rapidly, gulping a deep breath. _This is not how I pictured things progressing. Our partnership with the Ruairi—_He couldn't finish the thought because someone snatched him by the arm and pulled him away from the ship.

"_Bahri, what happened? Did you see anyone?_"

He exhaled softly when at his friend's voice. "_There was no one onboard the ship. My mission was completed, Ghyath._"

"_Do you think they will notice it?_"

Bahri shrugged helplessly. "_I cannot say. They will not be looking for it, so I could only guess. Right now I fear more for the terrapins than anyone."_

"_We are in no position to deal with this many," _Ghyath said worriedly. "_I do not know how it can be accomplished, but we have to try. If we do not move quickly…" _

When Ghyath trailed off, Bahri followed his gaze to where the willowy figure of a Ruairi was standing. Bahri took a tentative step, and the shadow quickly raised the barrel of a laser rifle.

"_Stay where you are_."

Bahri recognized the alien's voice. "_Hyrim, what are you doing_?"

"_Save your breath, elohim. Ghyath, do _not_ try anything. We have been authorized to kill you_."

Bahri glanced at his friend cautiously, and realized the golden-eyed elohim _was_ tensing to spring. "_Ghyath, no_," he whispered.

Ghyath shook his head rigidly, but Bahri wasn't convinced his friend would stand his ground.

"_Why are you doing this? Where is Achaz?_" Bahri demanded.

"_He will speak to you soon; he had something else to finish_," Hyrim returned.

Bahri warily eyed the weapon, and looked back at Ghyath just in time to see the elohim explode from the ground. The rifle discharged, but thankfully missed his friend as he dove to pin the Ruairi down. The two fought for control of the gun, while Bahri commanded himself to _do_ something other than watch.

In the blink of an eye Ghyath had the upper hand over the gunman, yet the battle was far from finished. Bahri heard others coming and checked over his shoulder with a sense of dread.

"Ghyath!" He tried to call a warning, but it was too late for _either_ of them to escape.

It took three of the Ruairi to wrestle Ghyath off of Hyrim. Bahri gasped when he saw one of the aliens bury taloned nails into the back of his friend's neck.

"_NO!_" he shouted, darting forward as Ghyath's cry filled the air with him. He made it less than two feet and was captured by two more Ruairi. "No…no!"

He stared in complete disbelief of the scene that had played out before his eyes. Ghyath's attackers were no longer on top of him, because the injection of neurotoxin had taken effect. His friend was lying facedown in the ground, bleeding badly enough that Bahri knew the toxin had penetrated too far.

"_Ghyath_!" he cried, struggling while the Ruairi on either side of him dragged him another direction. They whipped him around violently, and he came face to face with Achaz.

The Ruairi shook his head. "_So many of you would not cooperate tonight_."

"_But…but you_…" Bahri was completely flustered by Achaz's calm manner. "_What are you doing, Achaz? Ghyath is dying because of your men!_"

"_That is an unfortunate necessity_," Achaz said coldly.

"_But why are you _doing_ this?!"_

"_You know the answer. I appreciate your help, Bahri, I do. But at the end of everything, you are still elohim; you are _still_ part of the problem."_

"_When have I _ever_ been your problem?" _

"_You have seen too much, Bahri. Your knowledge could mean our destruction, and therefore, I have to be hard on you. I tried to make this painless, but you made your choice."_

"_For what purpose are you betraying us, Achaz? We are not a threat to you!"_

_"So you say, but I have no guarantee you will not return from whence you came."_

"_You cannot do this, Achaz. What about the terrapins? What will you do with them?"_

"_My hands are full, Bahri; I cannot save everyone. My people _must_ be my priority."_

"_Do not do this," _he pleaded.

"_It is over, Bahri. I am sorry." _Achaz looked at the Ruairi gripping Bahri's right arm. "_Umar, finish this for me, quickly. We need to get moving."_

Bahri didn't miss the way Achaz's voice shook with the last words. He stared after the Ruairi's retreating form, and didn't see his captor's talons coming before they sank into his chest. He struggled to breathe through burning pain as the Ruairi allowed him to slump to the ground.

_Ghyath…my friend. At least you fought bravely. I cannot say the same. Now that it comes to the end of this, there is only failure._

* * *

><p>Something tickled Donatello's cheek for the hundredth time, and it finally annoyed him enough to do something about it. The irritation provided the extra push he needed to navigate the cloud covering his mind. His eyelids felt like lead; he imagined that each of them weighed 50 pounds. The turtle strained with all of his might, managing some small progress.<p>

Donny found himself face-down on the abrasive surface of a duffle bag, with no memory of how he'd ended there. He laboriously blinked his eyes as he raised his head. Sunlight was streaming into the entrance of their cavern, signifying the hour was much later than it should have been. _Shell, why didn't anybody wake me up? I thought we were leaving before sunrise._

His head protested when he sat up, but he forgot about the sensation the moment he caught sight of his sleeping brothers. _Raph and Mike are still down too? How on earth did we all oversleep?_

The blue-masked turtle was noticeably missing from his bedroll, and Kamryn was gone too. Frustration pulsed in the back of his mind as Donatello climbed to unsteady feet. _Could I have been that tired? This doesn't make sense._

He walked slowly to the mouth of the cave, feeling dizzy with every step he took. _Wow, this is disturbing. Please tell me I'm not getting sick out here. They're going to have to take me out back and shoot me._

Donatello emerged outside and ambled slowly to the ledge of the cliff that overlooked the valley. His breath caught in his throat when he didn't see any sign of the Ruairis' caravan.

"_What?_" He stood frozen on the precipice for a few seconds. _No. Something's not right. They can't be gone. They didn't leave without us – Leo wouldn't let them. But where _is_ he?_

Don's gaze broke away from the empty valley, and he turned to go back into the cavern. The turtle nudged Ezra's side with his foot, and he was surprised when the man didn't stir. He shook the human's shoulder, and checked to see if he was breathing. Ezra's respiration seemed strong, but he didn't respond.

Donatello's brow furrowed as he stepped over to his youngest brother and couldn't wake him up either. Fear clawed at his heart as he moved on to his red-masked brother. His next kick was driven by haste and anxiety, forcefully propelling into Raphael's side before he thought about it.

His brother's gasp made Donny wince. "Shell, I'm sorry, Raph! I didn't mean to kick you that hard."

Amber eyes became narrow slits as they searched him out. "Nice wake-up call, Genius. Maybe try your words next time." Raphael moved to rise, and his eyes widened when he had difficulty. "What the _shell_ is going on, Donny?"

"I don't know, Raph, but I need your help. Mikey and Ezra aren't waking up. Would you mind working on your friend, and I'll get back on Mike's shell?"

"What do you mean they ain't waking up?"

"Just what I said, Raph. Watch your step, okay? I was pretty dizzy when I came around, and you might be too."

"Why would I be dizzy? Where's Fearless?"

"I wish I knew. We'll have to look for him and Kamryn when everyone is awake." Donatello offered his brother his hand and braced his legs so that Raphael wouldn't pull him over.

The red-masked turtle staggered a couple of steps before managing to straighten up. He headed for Ezra while Donatello knelt by Michelangelo. Donny reached for his younger brother's wrist to measure his pulse. The rate was slightly decreased, but it didn't strike him as being traumatic.

"Mikey?" He prodded the orange-masked turtle at the same time as he called his name. "C'mon. C'mon, Mike, wake up!"

His concern was grew stronger in the time it took Raphael to come up behind him.

His brother handed him a water flask. "Try this out, Donny. Worked like a charm on Ezra."

Donatello started to glance over at the Irishman, but was distracted by a glimpse of his red-masked brother's irises. "Raph, c'mere."

"Why?"

"I want a closer look at your eyes."

"You need to do that _now_?"

Don ignored his impatient tone and drew Raphael's chin toward him. "I thought so. Your pupils are dilated."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I…uh…hang on. Let me try getting Mike up again."

Donatello felt Raphael hovering over his shoulder, and it spurred him to pick up the pace. He dashed a small amount of water from the flask over Mike's face, increasing the volume when it didn't have the desired effect. He was relieved when the orange-masked turtle twitched.

"Are you with me, Mike?"

Michelangelo groaned. "'m tired…"

"I know, I know you are, Mike, but I need you to open your eyes. Could you try that for me?"

Mike's blue eyes blinked slowly. "Can you do this later?" he mumbled.

"I'm going to leave you alone, Mikey, but I need to see something first."

"Don, what are you looking at our eyes for?" Raphael cut in.

He took a moment to confirm Mike's pupils were dilated too, and returned to his feet. "I think it's pretty obvious," he said flatly. "There's nothing natural about this situation. We were drugged."

"I concur with the idea," Ezra added. "The question is _why_?"

"No, the question is, _where's _Leo and Kamryn?" Raphael's voice took on an edge.

Donatello swallowed deeply. "It doesn't make sense. They wouldn't have just left..." His heart sank as his mind returned to the empty valley. "Guys, the Ruairi are gone. I went outside when I woke up. The valley's abandoned."

Raphael glared at him incredulously. "And you're _just_ mentioning it?"

"I had a few things on my mind, Raph," he said sharply, and took another long breath. "Let's not do this, okay? We need to look for the others."

His older brother nodded, a smoldering look entering his eyes. "If those Ruairi did something dirty—"

"I'd say the chances of that are certain," Ezra interrupted. "They had a reason for drugging us."

Donatello immediately caught Raphael's eye. "How are you on your feet? Do you have good balance?"

"You ain't going to investigate by yourself, Donny," Raphael replied, reading his mind.

"What's going on?" Mike asked weakly. "I don't understand any of this."

Don leaned down to address him, laying a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Raph and I are going to have a look around, and we'll come right back. You need to stay here and rest."

"What are you looking for?" Confusion registered in Mike's face while he tried to rise.

"Mike, lie down," Donny told him. "We'll be back soon, I promise." He exchanged a worried look with Ezra. "How are you feeling?"

"Not too well, but I can hold down the fort, as it were," the man answered.

Donatello nodded. "We'd appreciate it."

Ezra exhaled. "Do hurry if you can."

"We'll do our best," Raphael told him. "C'mon, Genius. We gotta move."

Don massaged throbbing temples as they left the cavern, entering sunlight that didn't quite penetrate the chill in the air. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Raphael pitch forward slightly as he started off. "Raph, slow _down_," he admonished him.

"You take your time if you want to, Donny, but _I'm_ not gonna hang on."

Donatello cast an arm around his brother's shoulders when he stumbled a second time. "Raph, _listen_ to me. You're not at your fullest. I can't afford to be forced to take care of you. We need to find the others, and we have to be more careful."

Raphael grunted angrily under his breath as they began walking once more. "I'm worried, Donny," he finally admitted. "If something's happened to Leo…"

"I know," he said quietly. "We just have to keep going."

Donny found it difficult to pace _himself _over the few minutes it took to get to the bottom of the mountain. When they reached the valley he and Raphael lingered on the edge of the open area that had originally served as a campground for the Ruairi. Don was still focused on the barren land when his brother caught his wrist in a bone-crushing grasp.

"Raph, that _hurts_—"

The red-masked turtle nearly dragged him off his feet. "There, Donny!"

Donatello merely tried to keep his balance, until he saw the _reason_ for Raphael's sudden urgency. His legs trembled from exertion as he picked up speed along with his older brother to reach the tree that was shrouded in Leonardo's familiar cloak. Once they got closer, he could make out his oldest brother's shape underneath the fabric.

"Donny…" Raphael's voice was strained.

"He's alive, Raph, he has to be," Donatello said instantly. "You don't tie up someone who's dead."

Nonetheless he reached for Leonardo's neck to verify a pulse. Don breathed easier when he found one, but there was little else to encourage him. The temperature of his brother's skin alone gave him reason for serious concern.

Raphael ran a hand over the restraints, cursing. "What'd they do, _weld_ these knots? Is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Donny said automatically. "Can you work on cutting Leo loose? I need to get a better look at him."

He winced at the sight of lacerations across his brother's jaw, which already appeared to be inflamed. _Shell. It looks like he was attacked by an animal. _Donatello frowned as he examined evidence of fresh bruises, and gasped out loud when he found Leonardo's shoulder covered in dried blood. He clenched his fists in frustration over the deeper gashes underneath. _Who _else _could have done this except for the Ruairi? If the Overlords found them, they wouldn't have left Leo this way. They would have either killed him or taken him captive._

"I'm getting it, Donny. How does he look?"

"Not very good," he replied honestly. "But it looks like he put up a fight."

The purple-masked turtle caught Leonardo around the plastron as Raphael finished cutting restrains, and Donny carefully lowered him to the ground.

"What's going on with him?" his brother persisted.

"I'm trying to figure that out," Don replied without taking his eyes off of Leonardo. "He's cold. I'd say that he spent a good portion of the night out here. These wounds suggest he could have been attacked by a wild animal."

"They're called _Ruairi_," the red-masked turtle hissed. "I'm gonna kill them with my bare hands. How could they DO this to him?" He whipped off his cloak angrily and cast it over Leonardo. "Maybe it's not much, but it has to be better than nothing."

Donny shrugged out of his cloak too, rolling it up in a ball before sliding it under Leo's head. He leaned over his oldest brother, biting his lip as he listening his breathing. _His lungs seem to be working too hard. If he has some type of internal injury, I don't know _what_ we'll do._

"Don, shouldn't we get him back up the mountain?"

"Give me just a minute, Raph. I want to get a handle on a couple of things before we move him." Donatello was drawn irresistibly to Leonardo's shoulder, and he grimaced again over the wound tracks. A closer look revealed _tissue_ damage around the edges of the lacerations, which bothered the turtle a great deal. _What did they _do_ to him?_

When he fingered the lighter surface wounds on his brother's jaw, he heard a soft moan.

"Leonardo?" he called swiftly. "Leo."

The blue-masked turtle's eyes flickered, but didn't open. "Don," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Leo," Donny soothed. "You're going to be all right."

"I…I c-can't feel m—" Leonardo's words were lost in a coughing fit that brought up blood.

"Don't try to talk, Bro. Everything's going to be okay. We're here now."

Leonardo opened his eyes defiantly. "_No_. They took her."

Don leaned backwards precariously when his brother's words hit him. "You mean Kamryn? Are the Ruairi responsible for all of this?"

His brother exhaled. "I tried to sto—p them."

"It's not your fault. This isn't your fault, Leo!" The statement came out harshly as rage pulsed through Donatello's veins.

"Wait 'til I get my hands on them!" Raphael shouted.

"Gone," Leo rasped. "Long gone." He turned his head as he coughed harder.

"Stop talking," Donny ordered. "You're alive, and so are we. That's enough information for you to relax. Please try to stay awake though." He looked over his shoulder at Raphael. "Can you give me a hand with Leo?"

Donatello focused on supporting Leonardo's bad shoulder while Raphael came around the other side. The red-masked turtle exchanged a worried glance with him as they began carrying Leo together. All Don could do was shake his head.

_I don't know what's wrong with him yet, Raph. I only hope I can handle it._


	50. Scraping Together

Michelangelo felt much more awake by the time Raphael and Donatello returned to the cavern with Leonardo, but the orange-masked turtle _wished_ he was dreaming. The combined shock of the attack on his oldest brother, the abandonment by the Ruairi, and the kidnapping of Kamryn was so strong that he didn't say a single word for almost ten minutes while Donny was trying to grasp Leonardo's condition.

Raphael was bristling as he sat beside Mike, and he sensed that his red-masked brother was angry enough to take on an army. _It's really too bad we don't have a few of those Ruairi in front of us right now. Raph would probably take them out all by himself._

Mike winced at the sound of Leonardo's deep cough, and the way his breath seized in his chest. Donatello had covered Leo up several times, but the blue-masked turtle persisted in kicking the blanket off.

"Donny, isn't there something we can do to help?" Mike asked.

"Not unless you can find us a good supply of water. I don't suppose the Ruairi left us anything to survive on," Don replied bitterly.

"They wouldn't _have_ to leave water," Ezra mentioned. "The existence of the tree down in the valley means there has to be ground water, even if it's under the surface. I would be happy to go and see what I can find."

"If the ground ain't already open, I can fix that myself," Raphael added. "That's one thing I _know_ I can do."

Don looked up from Leonardo. "Would you and Ezra stay together then? Take the empty flasks with you just in case, and check if the Ruairi happened to leave anything behind we can use."

Raphael hopped to his feet. "We're on it, Donny."

"Don't separate, okay?"

"We'll stick together," Ezra promised.

The red-masked turtle and the Irishman disappeared outside, and Mike went over to join his brother.

"What's happening, Donny?"

Donatello took a long moment to respond. "I'm positive his core temperature is too low…and he's experiencing almost complete paralysis of his upper body. Leo told me it started with his muscles, but now it might be affecting his organs too."

"It might be?"

"Mike, I don't have any equipment to tell me what's going on inside. Leo's working too hard to breathe, which leads me to the conclusion that the neurotoxin is affecting the function of his lungs. His symptoms are reminding me of vasculitis, but there's no way to know for certain," Don finished quietly, as though talking to himself.

"What's that, Donny?"

"Oh, it's just…um…inflammation of the blood vessels in the lungs, which can be caused by a number of things, including an allergic reaction. I wouldn't be surprised if a neurotoxin induced something like that."

"So what can you do?"

"I don't know," he murmured, sounding far away again. "I'm trying to address his temperature to start with. This is when we could _really_ use that stupid extract from the elohim."

Mike surveyed the blue-masked turtle silently, shaking his head at the seeping wound on his shoulder. He wanted to ask more questions, but he didn't feel it would help. _Donny doesn't have the answers. How could he? We need someone who's seen this toxin before._

Fear churned in Michelangelo's stomach while he watched Donny address Leonardo's wound with another strip of material that had come from one of the cloaks. Leo groaned softly and his knee rose slightly under the blanket.

Donatello carefully pressed Leo's leg down. "Easy, Leo. You're all right."

"Don, get it off," Leo rasped. "I'm burning - get it _off_."

"I wish I could, Bro, but you're too cold. I know it doesn't seem like it, but you are," Don insisted, pushing his knee back again.

Mike cocked his head. "Is it possible for him to have hypothermia and a fever at the same time?"

Donny gave him a doubtful look. "I don't know anything about this toxin, but I wouldn't think so, Mike. We're talking two opposite ends of the spectrum temperature wise. It could be that his _perception_ of the temperature is off."

Leonardo coughed violently, and Mike stretched to reach his hand. "Hang in there, Leo. Please."

"Mike?" he mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Am _I_ okay?" Mike was incredulous. _Amazing. He's hacking his guts up under some unknown toxin, and he's worried about me? _He took a deep breath and gripped his hand harder. "Yeah, I'm cool, Leo. I've got your hand right here."

"I can't feel it," he said drowsily.

"But you can hear us, right? Donny's helping you, so you gotta do what he says."

"He always helps." Leonardo wheezed through his next breath.

"Leo, I don't think you should keep talking," Donatello said. "It could be aggravating your cough."

"I'm so dry. Is there water?"

Mike exchanged a glance with Donny.

"I think there's some left in the bottle I wasted to help you wake up, Mike. Would you mind grabbing it while I finish wrapping his shoulder?"

Mike retrieved the flask and came back to help Donatello sit their brother up far enough to drink without choking. The orange-masked turtle winced when he realized the flask was only about a quarter of the way full, but he gave it to Donny anyway.

The purple-masked assisted Leonardo in getting the water down, and shook his head apologetically when it was gone. "I'm sorry, Leo, that's all we've got. Raph and Ezra are searching for more."

"Is Raph being careful?" Leo asked.

Mike ducked his head and nearly laughed. "Bro, quit worrying about _us_. We've got this under control, right, Donny?"

"Yes, Leo," Donatello agreed. "Please try to relax."

When Mike started to lay him back down, the blue-masked turtle renewed his effort to breathe deeper.

Don glanced at Mike. "Could you help keep him propped up maybe? I think it's easier for him to breathe that way."

Michelangelo resumed supporting his oldest brother's dead weight, but tried to avoid the injury that Donny was still cleaning up. He knew the purple-masked turtle was nervous, even though Donatello was doing his best to hide it.

"Water," Leo pleaded.

Don swallowed. "I'm sorry, we don't have any more," he told him again. "Don't talk unless you have to, all right?"

Mike held onto his brother tighter as another wracking cough took him. He closed his eyes briefly, but refused to give in to the emotion that wanted to rise. _Leo needs us to be strong for him. Donny can't be the only one holding it all together._

The sound of heavy footsteps made Mike's head jerk upright, and Donny spun in the direction of the entrance to the cave.

"Raph, we really need…" Donatello trailed off with a shocked expression and a soft curse as he saw something that Mike couldn't from his vantage point. "Is he…"

Michelangelo stretched to see what was going on without abandoning Leonardo. He gasped when the red-masked turtle and Ezra came into view carrying an elohim between them.

"The good news is, I think the bastards left behind some stuff we can use," Raphael offered. "The bad news is, you're gonna have a couple more victims on your hands, Donny. I'm not sure what we to focus on first."

"We should bring the supplies up," Ezra suggested. "It doesn't look like much, but I think there are real dressings in the kit at least. The elohims' wounds are brazen; there is no doubt the Ruairi meant to kill them."

Donatello bent over Bahri, studying the elohim for a few seconds before looking back up at Raphael and Ezra. "Go back for Ghyath, and bring whatever supplies you think will help the most for the moment. Then we need as much water as possible. Leo is dying of thirst, and I've got to have it for cleaning too."

"You got it, Donny," Raphael answered tightly.

As the others left Mike watched Donatello bend over Bahri again and pull aside his ripped tunic. Don winced over the makeshift bandage haphazardly covering the elohim's chest, and immediately began applying pressure to the injury. "Bahri. Can you hear me?"

"Donny, what's wrong with him?"

"He was attacked too, Mikey, but his wounds are a lot deeper than Leo's," he answered. "Bahri? Open your eyes for me."

Michelangelo looked on in amazement when the golden-haired elohim raised his head a couple of inches. "Donatello," he said wearily. "Where is…Ghyath?"

"Slowly, Bahri, don't push yourself." Donny tried to keep him calm.

"_Ghyath_," he repeated stronger.

"Raphael and Ezra went back to get him," Don told him. "How are you _moving_? I thought the neurotoxin had a paralytic effect."

"Does, it does," Bahri answered. His glassy blue-eyed gaze widened when he locked onto Leonardo. "No." He sounded breathless at once. "No, not him. _No_."

The elohim went so slack Mike thought he'd passed out, and Donny's concern was evident.

"Bahri? I _need _your help. You've got to stay awake and tell me about this toxin."

"Take this." The elohim lifted one hand, and pressed a small pouch into his brother's palm.

"What…" Donny started, but didn't finish, peering inside the bag instead.

Bahri struggled to get his elbows underneath him. "It will help to cleanse."

"Is this like the drug you gave to Mike?"

"Yes, but…different. You have to load it." Bahri sank back to the ground with a groan.

"Stay with me," Don encouraged him. "Load it? What does that mean?"

"It is here, if you could help…" The elohim fumbled with the folds of his bloodied tunic, clearly searching for something.

Donatello began carefully looking through the same area, and withdrew a small device that was nothing Mike expected to see.

"Is that a _gun_?" Mike asked.

"No," Bahri said. "The vial goes inside. I can show you."

Donny rose up further on his knees, studying the "gun" and a cylindrical object side-by-side. "I think I can figure out how it works, but how much is he supposed to get at one time?"

"Start with two whole vials…and then…in three hours, give him two more."

The purple-masked turtle peered into the pouch. "I'm counting eight vials. Is that enough for the _three_ of you?"

"Give it to Leonardo. Save _him_," Bahri said quietly.

"What about you and Ghyath? What's going to happen to you?" Donny persisted.

"We each had three vials already. That is why the paralysis did not take full effect. Leonardo is the one to save. The toxin…" Bahri stopped for a couple of seconds, pausing to gather strength. "The toxin will filter out of the blood stream, but the cleanser will speed the process. Please do not wait. Give it to Leonardo."

Donatello held Bahri's gaze for a long moment. "I can trust you, can't I?" His voice shook with the question.

"I would not hurt you or your brothers, Donatello."

"Will you promise to be honest with me about everything?"

"We never intended to hide things," Bahri said weakly. "It is _hard_ to explain."

"Well, I don't want any explanations from you right now, except for what I need to know to help Leo."

"The larger dose of the cleanser will make him sleep, like Michelangelo did."

"Okay, so we don't have to worry if he passes out. Anything else?"

The elohim shook his head. "Has to run a course. The drug will dilute the toxin's effect."

Donatello got up and approached Mike, who was still gripping Leonardo "Leo? I have to give you something. It's kind of a shot, but I'm not sure how it'll feel going in."

"How did Doc get it?" Leo murmured confusedly.

"We're trusting the elohim," Donatello continued as if their brother could understand. "This is going to happen twice. Don't worry about anything. You're just going to go to sleep."

The purple-masked turtle brought the device to Leonardo's arm, and squeezed the trigger to empty one of the vials. He reloaded it with another cylinder and fired a second time. Donatello maintained an even exterior, except for the flash of fear that Mike caught in his eyes.

When Don held his gaze, the glimmer of anxiety was gone. "Can you watch over him for me, Mike? Make sure he's covered up, and that his bandages aren't bleeding through. Stitches are going to have to wait for a while."

Mike nodded. "I'll do my best, Donny."

The orange-masked turtle carefully set his brother down so that he could create a better "nest" for him, as he remembered all too well how uncomfortable a cavern floor could be when one was sick. Leo watched him work through half-closed eyes.

"You don't have to fight it, Leo," Mike assured him. "Bahri said you'd go to sleep. That's what's supposed to happen."

"Will you wake me up at 6?" he asked in a daze.

Michelangelo tried not to smile. "Forget about your routine, Leo. Get some rest. Donny's going to take care of everything."

"I don't want to get behind."

Mike _did_ laugh that time. "You're gonna _sleep_, Leo."

The blue-masked turtle sighed achingly. "It's still _hot_."

"I know, Bro. I'm sorry," he said mournfully. "But you're gonna be okay."

Mike glanced up from his drowsy brother when Raphael and Ezra came into the cavern again. He heard Donny take a sharp breath while they carried Ghyath over to join Bahri. The golden-eyed elohim never said a word, but only lay silently on his side as Donatello examined his back.

"Talk to me, Ghyath," Donatello encouraged him. "Can you move?"

The elohim slowly turned his head to see over his shoulder. "A little."

"Okay. You don't have to fight to look at me – just lie back and relax." Donatello turned to Raphael. "I need water really badly."

"The ground has already been broken a little, we just gotta open it further," Raphael told him. "There are a few more things below, but I brought you these for now so that you can stop cutting up our clothes."

The red-masked turtle unslung a bag from his arm, and Donny immediately started rifling through the contents. Donatello smiled as he withdrew a material that looked similar to gauze and nodded at Raphael.

"I think I can adapt with some of these things. Thanks, Raph. Don't push yourself too hard, but…"

Raphael shook his head. "Genius, do your thing, and we'll do ours." He strode over to Mike and crouched down low to see Leonardo. "Hey, Fearless. You doing okay?"

"Mmhm. But they're ganging up on me."

Raphael snorted. "If you're not a good patient, I'll come down on you too."

Leo tried to open his eyes wider but they rolled back in his head instead.

"It's okay, Raphy; he's had some drugs," Mike said quickly. "He was supposed to go to sleep."

"Take care of him, okay?"

"I got his back," Mike said determinedly.


	51. Patients

To say that Donatello felt overwhelmed was a massive understatement. He figured that the presence of his younger brother was the only thing preventing him from breaking down entirely. _Seeing me upset isn't going to help Mike, and it certainly won't help me. I can't believe I have to trust these aliens blindly. It's so ridiculous it's almost laughable – or it would be, if it wasn't this serious._

Donny's gaze rested on a sleeping Leonardo for a couple of seconds before returning to the stitches with which he was closing the ugly wound on the back of Ghyath's neck. The golden-eyed elohim hadn't spoken more than five words since arriving and barely flinched under his touch, even though Donatello knew the process was far from painless.

The purple-masked turtle was trying to focus on the task at hand, but his attention was irresistibly drawn to his older brother once again.

"I know you do not trust us," Bahri said quietly. "I cannot say I blame you."

Don looked at the blue-eyed elohim. "Based on the last few hours, _trust_ is more shaken than ever."

Bahri inched up on his elbows. "But you _do_ understand we were not part of this? We did not know the Ruairi were going to betray us."

"Common sense tells me they wouldn't have attacked you otherwise," Donny allowed. "But if the Ruairi meant to kill you, I don't understand why they didn't make sure you were dead."

"We should be," Bahri answered. "With the depth of our wounds, we would have died in a short time. But that is why I carried those vials."

Donny gave him a dubious gaze. "You _expected _them to turn on you? You just said you didn't know the Ruairi were going to betray you."

"I did not _know_ they would…but I had to be prepared. Full paralysis takes effect within an hour. Then the neurotoxin attacks organs, such as the heart, or the lungs…sometimes the kidneys. The antidote is stable until broken open. Carrying them was a simple means of defense."

Donatello was quiet for a moment. "And you never saw any of this coming?"

Bahri sighed painfully. "There were signs…but we did not put it together until it was too late."

Donny shook his head. "You probably shouldn't keep talking. Rest your head, Bahri. I'm going to finish taping up Ghyath's neck, and then I'll see about what I can do for _you_."

"Can I…do you mind if I see his injury first, before you wrap it?"

_He wants to inspect my work. I suppose that makes sense, given that he has no idea what kind of a medic I am. _Donatello took Bahri by the arm and helped him sit up far enough to see the stitches he'd created for Ghyath.

"Your work is good, Donatello. I could not have done it half as well."

The turtle shrugged modestly. "I've had a lot of practice. Do you consider yourself to be a medic?"

"No, I do not," Bahri returned. "If you—" His statement was cut short by a coughing spell that left the elohim gasping.

Donny grimaced. "Are you honestly going to be all right without the cleanser?"

"I think so," he managed. "Like I said…it runs a course."

"Well…let's not aggravate it with more talking. You're my next project, so just try to relax."

The elohim stared at him mutely while Donatello sized up the depth of the chest injury.

"This isn't going to be comfortable," Don warned him. "But I can get the job done."

"I trust you can."

"No talking."

"One question?"

"All right – one."

"Why do you have so much experience?"

"Oh. My brothers and I don't have a lot of options where we come from. Medical assistance has to come from inside our circle."

"Your circle?"

"Our extended family, as we like to call it."

"Are you their only medic?"

"This is turning into a conversation, Bahri."

"I am sorry."

Donatello hesitated as he began the process of sanitizing the surface area of the wound. _It might help keep him occupied if I continue talking, _he thought inwardly. "No, I'm not their only medic," he plunged ahead. "I have this nasty habit of getting into trouble _myself_, so I would never have lasted this long. I'm part of a team that includes three other amazing doctors. I don't give myself that title, because I haven't been to medical school."

Bahri's glance drifted to where Donatello was working. "Who…who are they?"

"Eyes to me," Donny said a little sternly before continuing. "They're humans. Luke came along first…our original 'Doc', as we like to call him. He has a strong background in chemistry, but he also acts as a crew chief for us. Luke specializes in trauma, so he's great for emergencies.

"Marcus was Luke's friend, and he joined the club next. _He's _an orthopedic surgeon; one of the best in the United States. Marc is the one who put my knee back together years ago, among many other things. Doc is really strict, and Marcus is…well, he's kind of a push-over. I mean, he'll limit us when he has to, but he's definitely softer than Luke.

"Our latest addition is someone I never saw coming. In one of our worst hours, Caleb was our savior. He not only brought Mike back from certain death, but he provided a solution to a problem that would have killed us all eventually. He's our geneticist. Caleb doesn't have as much hands-on experience with patients, but he's learning."

Bahri's breathing went so silent it startled Donatello.

"Hey, Bahri. Stay with me, okay? Are you all right?"

The elohim blinked rapidly. "Yes. I am trying to be still for you."

"That's great, but you've got to breathe, don't you?"

"I am tired, Donatello."

"If you're going to sleep on me right now, you must have amazing tolerance for pain."

The elohim exhaled wearily. "I feel it of course, but the other pain is worse."

"What other pain? What am I missing? You've got to tell me, Bahri."

"The toxin," he answered. "When paralysis is not in effect, the pain is…it is hard to describe."

"Is there anything I can do about it?"

"No, not under these conditions. Do not fear for us, Donatello. It will pass."

"Do you know that for sure?"

The elohim closed his eyes. "No."

Donny took notice of perspiration that was just beginning to glisten on the alien's forehead and rested the back of his hand against Bahri's cheek. "Your temperature is rising."

"Yes," he said simply.

"Bahri, what about your crystals? Can't we call for help? Wouldn't one of your contacts come?"

"The Ruairi took them."

The mere mention of the aliens was enough to make Donatello's blood boil, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I feel like the biggest failure that has ever lived," Bahri murmured.

"Those are pretty large shoes to fill."

"You cannot imag—" Bahri cut off with a gasp, clenching his fists.

Donny swallowed nervously and braced a hand under the elohim's neck to adjust his position. "Bahri, I don't know what to do for you besides address your injuries. You need another vial, don't you?"

The alien shook his head. "Your brother is in more danger than Ghyath or myself, because he is late in receiving it. You must save the medication for him."

The purple-masked turtle rubbed his temples anxiously. "This doesn't feel right."

The elohim stared back at him bleakly. "None of it is right, and the four of you suffer the most. I am sorry, terrapin, for everything. That we made no attempt to rescue your young woman, that you are even h-here…" He trailed off as he fought for a good breath.

"You're going to have to stop talking," Donatello said firmly. "Do you have experience with visualizations or anything that could take your mind off the pain?"

"I do not think I have the energy for something like that."

"Then I can only suggest trying to sleep."

Ezra cleared his throat as he entered the cavern. "Perhaps he should drink some more first."

Donny glanced up at the Irishman and straightened. Ezra's face and clothes were smudged with mud, giving evidence to the progress he and Raphael had made. Don perused the man swiftly, and was satisfied he was all right.

"I brought you another jug for drinking," Ezra told him.

"Can you wait here for a minute?" Donatello requested, and the man nodded.

"I can help you transfer some water to skins if you like," he suggested.

Ezra held the flasks steady one by one while Donny distributed liquid between them. By the time the turtle got back to Bahri, the elohim had closed his eyes.

Don patted his cheek. "You still awake? Do you think you can drink some more?"

"Yes…thank you."

He helped Bahri sit up far enough to drink, but the elohim shuddered after a couple of gulps.

"I need to lie down."

"Are you sure you can't drink any more?"

Bahri shook his head. "I am too tired."

Donatello sighed. "I wish we had your infusion pump. Getting dehydrated isn't going to help matters." He heard a groan to his right, and realized the Irishman was helping Ghyath lie back down. "Did he drink anything?"

"A little bit," Ezra replied.

"How's Raph? He's not pushing himself too hard, is he?"

"He's not acting like it, and I have some experience in the matter, fortunately. I still feel like I ought to keep an eye on him."

"I'd appreciate that." Donatello dusted off his hands and took another flask of water over to his other two brothers.

Michelangelo had been so quiet , Don wouldn't have known he was there. His face was deadly serious as the purple-masked turtle leaned over him and Leonardo.

"Will you keep water handy in case Leo wakes up?" Donny asked.

"Am I doing any good here? Should I be helping Raph and Ezra?" his brother asked.

"What with having three patients, I'd rather keep you with me," Don said evenly. _And the fact that I don't know if _you're_ completely recovered means I'm not letting you go work your shell off either._

"Does this make me an honorary assistant? Can I get some credentials?"

Donny grinned. "That will depend on the survey Leo fills out on you."

"I'll make sure he gives me high marks. I'll be the best assistant you ever had!"

"I'm sure you will, Mikey."

Ezra got back to his feet. "I'd better return to Raphael before he tries to dig a hole to the center of Zuhur."

After he left Donatello checked on Bahri again, and found the elohim sleeping fitfully. He glanced over at Ghyath and noticed the alien's eyes flicker.

"Ghyath? Talk to me."

"What should I say?" he muttered.

"Nothing, I just…I want to make sure you're okay."

"_None_ of us are okay," Ghyath said flatly. "They left us here. They _tried_ to kill Bahri and me. The Ruairi betrayed us. We were allies, and they treated us like garbage."

"I understand you're upset," Donatello said quietly.

The elohim's eyes opened wider. "Do you mean to say that you are _not_?"

Donny released a shaky sigh. "I can't think about it right now. You're my distraction."

"I do not _have_ a distraction," he replied stiffly. "We knew something was wrong, and we waited. If we had reacted sooner, if we had done something—"

"Then the Ruairi _still_ would have tried to kill you. Don't start blaming yourself, Ghyath. If anything provoked this…I doubt it was you."

The elohim raised his head, studying Donatello with a judicious gaze. "You tell me not to take the blame, but _you_ are trying to."

Don ducked his head and looked for Mike out of the corner of his eye. It didn't appear that his brother had heard what the elohim said. "I know the Ruairi have a reason for taking Kamryn. Are they honestly capable of helping her?"

Ghyath gave him a pointed look. "You do not believe they are motivated with pure intentions, especially now."

"Too true," Donny said tightly. "But what do they want?"

"I cannot say for sure, Donatello. They must believe she will be of some use to them."

"_What _use?"

Ghyath shook his head. "I know nothing of genetics, but it probably has something to do with the experiments Yasir did on her."

"They _were_ asking about her medical history, but I don't understand how any of it can benefit them."

The elohim exhaled so wearily that Donny knew he was going to have to let it go for the moment. _He doesn't have the answers about Kamryn, but I'm sure he knows other things. We'll have to get to that later._

"Why don't you drink more water and try to get some sleep?" Donatello offered.

Ghyath didn't fight the turtle's effort to get him to sit up, and accepted a few more sips from a flask. Donatello winced at the heat he felt from the elohim's skin. _I hope their temperatures don't go too high. I wish I knew how long it will take for the toxin to work itself out of their system. I feel like I'm stumbling around blindly in the dark without a darn clue. How are we going to help them or Kamryn? How do we help _ourselves_? We have no transportation, and few supplies._

Don paused in thought long enough to realize that Ghyath was watching him. "What is it?"

"You help as if you care about us."

"I _do_ care," Donatello acknowledged. "We consider all life to be valuable." He hesitated for a couple of seconds. "Did you hear Bahri urge me to give the rest of the vials to Leo?"

"Yes," he answered. "You must."

"Why?" Donny asked. "_You_ seem to care more about what happens to him than yourselves. You barely know us, but you went out of your way to help."

"We have to," he said quietly. "Your lives must be preserved."

"But _why_?" Donatello's tone intensified despite his low volume.

"Because El said…" Ghyath stopped. "It is too difficult to explain like this."

"No, Ghyath. You've got to tell me something that makes a shred of sense."

"We believe you to be the Chosen."

Don's brow furrowed. "The what?"

"I told you it was hard to explain." Ghyath closed his eyes. "If we survive this, I promise we will."


	52. Surviving

Kamryn writhed, twisting her wrists behind her back, though she knew there was no point trying to get free. The Ruairi had taken more than enough precautions to assure she wasn't going anywhere. The initial fear and confusion she'd experienced upon waking on the air ship melted into one emotion she'd never felt with such intensity: rage. The anger drove her to continue fighting with the restraints, despite knowing the effort was useless.

The young woman huddled in the corner of a small cabins, with a Ruairi guard stationed right by the open door. The alien took great pains to ignore her, but it didn't stop Kamryn from railing at him.

"I want to see Achaz!" she insisted. "I'm not going to shut up until I do!"

The Ruairi muttered something under his breath, but it didn't seem she was any closer to moving him.

"Go get him! He can't be doing anything important! Achaz has to be tired from scheming over all the betrayal. Doesn't that wear a person out?"

Lajos shook his head. "I do not decide when you see him, human."

"_Now_ I'm just human," she said bitterly. "Only merchandise to use however you see fit. Tell me something, Ruairi, how do you live with yourself? You pretended to be some kind of saviors for the turtles, and you acted like you were allies with the elohim, but you proved to be nothing but _wicked_."

Lajos looked away from her.

"You don't have any answer? I find that interesting. Surely you've rationalized it somehow, given yourselves excuses so you don't have to feel as bad. I want to hear them. I want to know exactly how Achaz talked you into being back-stabbing, heartless murderers and traitors."

"_That_ will do, Kamryn."

The young woman heard Achaz before she saw him, and mustered all of the courage being fed by her anger. "Have I said something to hurt your feelings?" she asked sarcastically. "I wouldn't want to offend one of the kidnappers who probably means to kill me as soon as he's has what he wants."

Achaz strode into the room, motioning for Lajos to leave. His gold-rimmed eyes peered down at her coldly, but she saw the irritation he wasn't capable of hiding. Kamryn's heart skipped as the Ruairi caught her by the collar to drag her off the floor, and then deposited the young woman onto a small beds.

"Are we going to have a discussion like rational people?" he asked.

"That depends. How does killing your allies and drugging your friends fall into _rational _behavior?"

"You cannot imagine the weight of the burden I carry for my people," Achaz told her tersely. "Month after month, day after day we are losing more of them. Can you even _try_ to see things from my perspective?"

"Your perspective is screwed up. No well-meaning person would do what you've done in the last twelve hours."

"They might, if it was the only hope for saving their people."

Kamryn shook her head. "I recall a certain turtle who was given the opportunity to kill a captive in order to preserve his own life, and he refused to do it."

"I am not concerned with saving _myself, _Kamryn. If I could trade my own life for the Ruairi, I would do it at once. It is not that simple."

"But you're willing to trade my life for them, aren't you?"

"We wish you no harm, Kamryn. If we could help you, we would. Our technology is not that advanced. In the meantime, you possess a key that could possibly turn our lives around. I did not want to take it from you forcefully, but your protector would not give us a reasonable chance."

"Are you talking about Donatello? Don't act like this is _his_ fault. You're in the wrong here. _You're_ the traitor, who's willing to sacrifice everyone else for the sake of possibilities. Just what do you think you're going to get from me?"

"Did Yasir tell you anything about the infusions you received, Kamryn?"

"He likes to talk and I was a captive audience," she replied. "Much like I am now."

"I am sorry for that, Kamryn, but you reacted far too violently for me to consider releasing you."

"I wonder how you'd react if someone kidnapped _you_. But what were you going to say about Yasir?"

"Did he tell you about the autoantibodies?"

She remembered the term, but shrugged as if she didn't. _It's not my job to fill in the blanks for him._

"Autoantibodies are nothing more than proteins that are specifically manufactured by our immune system to attack _other_ dangerous proteins in the body," he told her. "The problem is that they cannot always tell the difference between the actual threat and _healthy_ tissue and organs. Sometimes they damage or even destroy the body they were created to protect.

"The reactions you suffer in response to your foreign DNA sound very similar to something we experience on a different scale. But while your autoantibodies can kill you quickly, ours have chosen a slower route, forcing us to fall one by one under the ravages of time. They do not attack the organs or proteins necessary to sustain our lives, but just the same, there is no future hope for us because of them.

"The proteins have decimated the hormones and uteruses of our females. It makes it impossible for the women to conceive. That is the reason our race is dying out, and why we are desperate for the answers that only the Overlords can provide. They _created_ this problem with their meddling of our DNA, but they refused to do anything about it. We were only test subjects to them too.

"You have undergone several infusions of cells they use to temporarily override the autoantibodies. Through our allies, we learned something of the process. The Overlords cannot prevent the autoantibodies from reproducing and causing more problems, but they can stop the _existing_ proteins in their tracks. At this particular moment, your bloodstream is alive with T-cells which could change our own outcome."

Kamryn stared at him silently for a few seconds. "You're out of your mind," she said finally. "How are my lonesome T-cells supposed to save all of you?"

"They will not do the job alone, Kamryn. But if they can be reproduced many times over? It could mean a future for the Ruairi."

"You don't have the elohim's technology, but you think you can replicate their work? How does that seem feasible to you?"

"We are not completely without resources or our _own_ miracle worker, so to speak. We have faith that our Elder may be able to reconnect the gaps left in our DNA by the destruction of proteins."

"_Oh_, I get it." Kamryn's cat-eyes narrowed. "You needed your Elder. He's your specialist. That's why you were willing to go to the trouble of getting him back. And what were the turtles? Some distraction to divert attention if things went badly in Arcadia?"

"Despite what you may think, I did not want to hurt anyone. It is left to me to make difficult decisions for the survival of my people. The terrapins are strong and determined. They will find a way to take care of themselves."

"You just abandoned them in the wilderness! Where are they supposed to go from there?"

"We did not leave them without resources, and there is plenty of ground water."

"Have you really convinced yourself that you did the right thing?"

"I did what I _had _to. I am sorry you did not get to say goodbye to the terrapin, but he _is_ in love with another human."

His veiled accusation was so infuriating that Kamryn felt her cheeks flush and she didn't think twice about spitting at him.

The Ruairi drew back from her with a disgusted look. "I do not see why he has this power over you."

"You see _nothing_," she said sharply. "Everyone else in beneath you, so how can I expect you to realize what amazing people the turtles are? If you did, you never would have left them. You wouldn't let them out of your sight."

"They are loyal and powerful warriors—"

"They're much more than that, but you'll never choose to acknowledge it."

"I did not bring them here! It is not my responsibility to—" The alien cut short when the smooth motion of the craft was interrupted by a very sudden dip in altitude.

Kamryn couldn't keep her balance and hit the floor on her side as the Ruairi stumbled too.

"By El," he grumbled as he steadied himself and turned toward the door. Achaz had hardly entered the hallway before Kamryn heard the sound of pounding feet approaching.

"_What is the meaning of this, Rashan?_ _Who gave the authority to land?_" Achaz demanded.

"_Sir, we are not in control of the ship! We are surrounded by Interceptors, and they are _forcing_ us to land! We are locked out of the controls. We cannot do _anything_!"_

_"How could they track us down?" _Achaz was in disbelief. _"Do you still have the ability to contact the other ships?"_

_"With the use of the link, we do, Sir."_

_"Tell them to make haste and flee. We are not letting them get their hands on the Elder again. We must prepare for a fight…" _Achaz's voice faded while the hatch suddenly closed behind him.

Kamryn's heart beat furiously in her chest. _Overlords, here? Normally that wouldn't be good news, but then, they can keep me alive. _As the air ship sank toward the earth her mind continued to race, and she was startled by the direction it was going. _I never thought I'd be happy to hear the elohim had discovered us, but given my past experience with them, I think they can be manipulated. _

_Even as their slave, I _could_ eventually find another opportunity to escape. _The anger that had been fueling her senses for hours had another unforeseen side effect – she'd discovered how badly she wanted to live, if only for the dream of being free. _I can be convincing. I can be subservient – I've done it my whole life. Ezra did it for over thirty years; surely I can hold out too._

Her breathing quickened when the ship lightly touched down, and she heard raised voices through the walls of the cabin. Kamryn stayed where she was on the floor, biding her time and working up the necessary emotion to pull off her ruse.

The sound of laser fire was interrupted by a miniature explosion, and she felt the floor quake beneath her. _The Overlords must be boarding the ship. Please don't kill me on sight. _Please_ don't kill me on sight. _She forced her breathing to even out so she could listen. There was only shocked stillness now, signifying one side had quickly overcome the other.

Praying she was doing the right thing, she took a deep breath. "Help! Somebody! _Help me!_" Three times Kamryn raised her voice, tensing while she waited for a response.

The young woman trembled as the hatch opened once more, this time to reveal a tall shadowy figure who _had_ to be elohim. On cue, she burst into tears. "Help me! Oh, _please_ help me! They took me away and they're going to kill me!"

The alien came forward, dark blue eyes widening. "What have we here?"

"I'm a slave, number 255! The Ruairi kidnapped me! Please get me out – keep them away from me!" Kamryn sobbed, surprised by the amount of emotion she'd managed to conjure.

"255…" he said thoughtfully. "I remember hearing something of you. If you are who I _think_ you are, Yasir will be pleased."

"Is he here?" She tried to sound happy.

"He is quite close by." Swiftly the elohim knelt and examined the restraints binding her wrists. Without a word he drew a small blade and ordered her to be still.

Kamryn bit her lip while the Overlord freed her, and picked her up as if she was a child. The elohim carried her out of the room, and when he entered the main portion of the air ship, the young woman saw the figure of the Doctor.

"_No sign of the terrapins?"_ Yasir asked.

"_No, Doctor, at least not on this ship. I did find someone else you may be happy to see," _her elohim replied.

Kamryn sniffed but allowed tears to continue falling as Yasir gave her an appraising glance.

"Well, 255, this _is _a surprise."

"It was the Ruairi." She choked. "They took me from Arcadia. They wanted my T-cells."

Yasir glanced to her right, and Kamryn saw the formidable form of Barak pinning Achaz to the floor. _"You worthless scum,"_ he said derisively. _"As if taking samples from _my _work would make any difference for your pathetic race?"_

The Doctor turned back to Kamryn. "Tell me, 255, what of the terrapins? Were they on one of the other ships?"

"No," she answered honestly, though the truth ended there. "They're gone. They disappeared the morning after the group left Arcadia. The terrapins didn't trust the elohim or the Ruairi…or even me. I don't know where they might have gone. They left me behind without a second thought, so I can't say I care what happens to them."

"Friends can be fickle, hm?" Yasir smiled, and then looked at Barak. _"Do pick the insect up, Barak."_

"_She speaks truth_," Achaz rasped. _"The terrapins left us. They did not want our help. We never—"_

Barak yanked the Ruairi's head backwards with a mighty jerk. _"You will speak only when spoken to, Ruairi filth."_

It was only then that Kamryn glimpsed how badly Achaz's forehead was bleeding.

"_Well said, Barak. Questions can wait until our guests are more comfortable_," Yasir asserted. The Overlord leaned closer to Kamryn. "Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?"

She shook her head. "Only tested my blood, but they were _going_ to do worse."

"You can be sure of that, little one. You may not enjoy all of our experiences, but it was always my goal to preserve you. You cannot say that for the Ruairi, can you?"

"No- they're monsters," she murmured.

Yasir nodded somberly, and looked at the elohim who was still holding her. _"Look after 255, and see that she is transported to Central."_

As her new "guardian" took her off the ship, Kamryn's mind was reeling. _Achaz played along. He could have told Yasir exactly where the turtles were. I don't know how much the Ruairi can be trusted to keep their mouths shut. I hope they can be as stubborn with this secret as they are to survive._


	53. Upside

For Michelangelo the day had lasted an eternity, and now it seemed the night would be just as long. He knew Raphael was taking the first watch, but he was having a hard time going to sleep. The orange-masked turtle rolled over and opened his eyes to find both Raphael _and_ Donatello sitting up by the fire.

"Hey," Mike protested sharply. "Aren't we supposed to be taking turns sleeping? What's the point of setting up watches if everyone's awake?"

Donny glanced at him apologetically. "I can't, Mike, not with the elohim in this condition. I don't know how much of this heat they can take."

"_You_ can't take it all either, Genius," Raphael said bluntly. "You're not staying up all night. Ezra's pretty good with this stuff too, and he's been around these aliens a lot longer than we have."

Don looked in the direction of the sleeping Irishman. "I guess that would be all okay."

"You're darn right it is," Raphael said.

The purple-masked turtle shrugged. "I'll play this by ear then."

Mike swallowed nervously. "How's Leo?"

"He's all right…a little warm, but not like Bahri and Ghyath. Leo responded when I tried to wake him up, but he's groggy and confused. He needs to rest, so I'll only bother him to get him to drink." Donatello turned to Raphael. "How are you holding up for all _your_ efforts? "

"'M okay," Raphael assured him. "Sore," he added honestly. "But if those Ruairi were here, if I could get my hands on Achaz…Nothing would hold me back. Nothing."

"Get in line." Donny snorted.

Raphael shook his head. "It's not safe to get in the way of that much rage," he muttered.

"Tell me about it," Donatello said shortly.

Michelangelo's brow furrowed at Donny's tone. It wasn't like the purple-masked turtle to snap harder as hard as Raphael. "Don, I know you gotta be worried about Kamryn," he started slowly. "But the Ruairi wouldn't wanna hurt her, right? They want her alive."

Donny rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. "It doesn't matter; they've signed her death sentence either way. I don't know what they hope to get from her, but it can't be anything beneficial to Kamryn." He looked down at the cavern floor. "Not that I did her any favors either."

"What do you mean by that?" Raphael demanded. "If you're blaming yourself for this, Donny, so help me God…"

"I got aggressive with Achaz; I should have controlled myself. I could be the very reason they came down on us this hard."

"Donny, they're messed up," Mike inserted. "I don't _care_ if you argued with Achaz or threatened to take his head off. They had no right to do any of this."

Donatello crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the red flames of their fire. "I know that, but I can't help feeling responsible. I was supposed to protect her. No one has looked out for Kamryn in her entire life. Not knowing what those Ruairi could be doing with her only makes things worse."

"They will not have the chance to," Bahri murmured softly.

Donny leaped to his feet and grabbed one of the leather water-skins. "Hey, Bahri. Why don't you try to get some water down?"

The elohim shook his head. "Did you hear me? The Ruairi will not be _able_ to hurt her."

"How do you know?" Don asked.

"Because the Overlords will find the Ruairi."

Raphael's forehead creased suspiciously. "You said they weren't looking for the right ship. How the shell are the Overlords gonna find them?"

The elohim took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Before Ghyath and I were attacked, I had time to set off a secondary beacon onboard the air ship."

"A beacon for what?" Mike held his breath.

"It is a distress signal, sending a specific message that the ship has been overtaken," Bahri answered. "We…that is, Ghyath and I suspected something was about to happen, but it was too…too fast…" His blue eyes widened suddenly and he grimaced in pain.

Donatello got down on his knees to offer him water, but the elohim only took a single drink and pulled away.

"Let me get this out," Bahri rasped. "I was going through my kit, just after dinner. I realized a particular extract was missing, and…I knew they had taken it. We managed to throw out the drinks we already had, but the Ruairi would not leave us alone. I think they were waiting for us to go to sleep."

The elohim was quiet for such a long moment that Michelangelo wondered if he would continue. Bahri took as deep a breath as he could manage. "We always knew we would be in danger if the Ruairi turned on us. We were outnumbered. We had to pretend to go to sleep. It was not until later that evening that they left us in the hands of only two sentries.

"By this time, there was no doubt in our minds, even though Ghyath and I could not speak openly to each other. The Ruairi would not watch us closely unless they were planning something."

He stopped and accepted a couple more sips of water from Donny. Bahri rested for a few seconds and then began speaking again. "Ghyath overcame our sentries, and we snuck out to see what was happening. The attention of most of the Ruairi was diverted, by Leonardo, I now suspect. It was obvious they meant to leave the rest of us behind. I only had time to activate the beacon on board the ship before we were discovered."

Michelangelo felt goosebumps rise on his arms. "But the Ruairi have Kamryn. What will the _elohim_ do when they find her?" He glanced at Donatello, and was surprised to see his brother brighten.

"Then Kamryn is no worse off than before she met any of us," Donatello filled in. "Yasir has the means and the motivation to keep her alive…and this turn of events will also make it easier to _find_ her." He looked down at the alien appreciatively. "You did well, Bahri."

"I would not say that, Donatello…but if they intended to betray us, I did not want them to get away with it."

Donny smiled. "As strange as this might sound, this news makes me feel a _lot_ better. It gives us options. You're surprising me, Bahri."

"I did not give you much reason to have confidence in me," Bahri said wearily. "I hope I have the chance to change that."

* * *

><p>Michelangelo only slept for small windows of time. The orange-masked turtle was usually capable of tuning out unnecessary noise, but that night every small sound caused him to stir. His eyes were still heavy when he came around for the 30th time, to find the breaking dawn filtering through the entrance of their cavern.<p>

He sat up slowly, and smiled when he saw Raphael and Donatello fast asleep. The red-masked turtle's hand was so close to Donny'sarm, it looked like he was ready to restrain him at a moment's notice. _Don probably stayed up a lot longer than he should have, and he doesn't have any caffeine to back him up. He's gotta be wiped out._

When he laid eyes on Leonardo, he was startled to see his blue-masked brother sitting up without assistance. Ezra was seated on his left side, and the man smiled broadly when Mike shot to his feet.

"Hey, Bro!" Michelangelo greeted cheerfully. "You're looking pretty good."

"I wouldn't say that yet," Leo returned quietly, with a rasp that suggested his throat was raw. "But I feel a lot better than I did."

"Did you get some more water already?" Mike suggested.

Ezra nodded. "It was the first thing we did."

"Are you okay, Mikey?" Leo asked. "No problems from being drugged?"

"It took me a little longer to wake up than everyone else, but then I felt good enough to help Donny. I babysat you for most of the day." Mike grinned.

"I don't remember it," Leonardo told him. "I don't recall much of anything, except for feeling like half of me was burning and the rest was numb. One of the weirdest things ever." He gazed over at the two sleeping elohim. "So the Ruairi tried to kill them. It's bad enough that they would drug and abandon us…I can't imagine how Bahri or Ghyath must feel."

Mike shrugged helplessly. "Donny said Bahri was apologetic, and Ghyath is furious. But those Ruairi have a shock coming." He laughed.

Leo cocked his head. "What are you talking about?"

"What _do_ you mean?" Ezra added.

"The elohim figured out something was up, but it was a little late. Bahri managed to set off some homing beacon onboard the air ship before they got taken out. He said it'll lead the Overlords right to them."

"Then they'll get caught, and Kamryn…" his oldest brother trailed off uncertainly.

"Don says this is a _good_ thing, Bro. He doesn't think the Overlords will hurt her."

"Especially if they believe that the Ruairi took her," Leonardo said thoughtfully. The blue-masked turtle shuddered with effort as he tested one of his legs.

"Are you serious, Leo? Don't even think about it," Mike chided. "I _know_ you don't want me to wake up Donny. He's completely running on fumes. You both need rest."

Leonardo reluctantly relaxed and glanced back at Ezra. "Do you know if there's anyone on this planet we can actually trust?"

The Irishman gazed in the direction of the elohim. "I can't tell you who to trust, Leonardo; but I can tell you who _I_ trust. In my entire life as a slave, I've never put faith in anyone other than Ghyath. I know you still may have issues with them based on what happened at Central…but you should also know they were very concerned for you yesterday. They gave up their own medicine to save you."

"It's true," Mike agreed. "Bahri was carrying several vials of that cleanser. He only had a few left, and he made Donny give them to you."

"But what's going to happen to _them_?" Leonardo frowned.

Ezra shook his head. "They are not quite as hot this morning as last night. I hope that means the neurotoxin is filtering out of their bloodstream, however slowly. Only time will tell for sure."

"Why would they do that?" Leo exclaimed. "Ezra, you know them better than we do. Bahri was very helpful to me when we first met. I felt a lot more comfortable with him than I did the Ruairi. He was the one who worked with me to get my memory back. I believed Bahri wanted to help, but he never explained why. He told me he thought we were here for a reason, but it was never expounded on."

Mike took a deep breath. "Ghyath said something last night that didn't make sense either. He told Donny they thought we were 'the chosen'."

Leonardo's eye-ridges rose. "And he didn't say what that meant?"

The orange-masked turtle shook his head. "He wasn't exactly up for talking." He looked over at Ezra in time to see the man pale. "What's the matter?"

"I didn't expect for it to come out that way," Ezra answered.

"You didn't expect _what _to come out? This thing with 'the chosen'?" Leonardo sat up further.

"This isn't…I don't…" Ezra faltered.

"You know what he meant," Leo challenged.

"I…I'm no more prepared to explain this than they are."

The blue-masked turtle rolled his eyes. "Do you want us to trust you? Just spit it out – it can't be that hard."

"It's not so much difficult to say, as it is to believe."

Leonardo groaned. "Ezra, I already have a headache and you're making it worse."

"I'm sorry, Leonardo; I need you to understand where this is coming from. I don't know the actual words; they don't even belong to the elohim. It all comes from the mouth of their prophet."

Michelangelo blinked in surprise. "A prophet was talking about _us_?"

"I don't know, Michelangelo. I don't necessarily believe anything he says, or know what to think about El."

"El?" Leonardo repeated. "I don't understand what their God _or_ prophets have to do with us."

"Bahri and Ghyath are among those who believe you fit the description of a 'word' spoken by their holy man. Trust me; I'm not the one you want to talk with about this."

"That may be the case, but you're the one who's here," Leo said tersely. "What do you know about these 'chosen'?"

Ezra shook his head. "You must remember that I'm a _slave_. I haven't been privy to a lot of details."

"Why do the chosen matter so much to the elohim?" Mike asked.

"Some of them believe that Zuhur is under a curse. They think it's the reason that we experience very little rain, and the atmosphere is so volatile. If the prophet is to be taken seriously, things will only get worse."

"Worse than no rain?" Mike crossed his arms. "Worse than hardly having any real plants and no animals?"

"Joshua has seen the destruction of this entire planet. These aren't _my_ ideas that I'm spouting, Michelangelo. You asked what I know, and that is the gist of it."

The two turtles looked at each other, but neither came up with a response.

"I _told_ you it was hard to believe," Ezra went on.

"But what do the chosen have to do with the curse?" Mike wanted to know.

"Do they think _we_ can do something about it?" Leo was incredulous. "We can't even help ourselves. We don't have a clue what to do next. How can we save a _planet_?"

Ezra ran a hand through his red hair. "Does it appear I have any answers? I'm only along for the ride, Leonardo, because it's better than being a slave."

_It sounds like we're _all _along for a ride_, Mike thought inwardly. _The big question is, where are we going?_


	54. Options

Donatello ended up sleeping longer than he meant to. When he woke he was startled to see the position of the shadows on the floor, and dismayed to realize that it was afternoon. The purple-masked turtle sat up with a soft groan, flexing shoulders that were stiff from the way he'd been laying on the cavern floor.

"Hey, Bro," Mike called. "I thought that might wake you up."

"What might?" he asked in confusion.

"Food." Mike indicated the small pot he was heating over the low embers of the remnants of the fire. "It kind of tastes better hot; at least I'm imagining it does."

"Can I skip it and go straight to coffee?"

The orange-masked turtle gave him a wry smile. "I would if I could, Donny, honest. You'll have to make do with some water for now."

"It sounds better than nothing." Donatello got to his feet and joined his younger brother, but he cast a long look over at Ezra with the elohim before sitting back down. "How are they, Ezra?"

"They burn still, but the heat has decreased from last night. I think they might be improving slightly, and _your_ brother is better still. His fever has broken."

Don's head whipped around to see Leonardo and Raphael pressed up against the cavern wall. The blue-masked turtle raised a hand in greeting and Donatello exhaled. "I suppose I'll have to start trusting the elohim a bit more."

"To a point," Mike replied in a low voice. "There's still a bunch of stuff they haven't told us, Donny. We can't let them get away with that anymore."

The orange-masked turtle swirled around the contents of the small pot and looked up at Donny. "You hungry enough to eat?" he joked. The question had become their consistent slogan over the last few days.

"Depends. Is it the grey sludge or the yellow cement?"

"Is there a difference?"

"Only in color."

"Then I hope you're feeling sunny, Bro."

Donny accepted the individual-sized pan from him, but had to work up to eating. "You have no idea how badly I'm craving caffeine."

"I can think of a few things I want badly too," Mike said seriously.

Don winced. "I'm sorry, Mikey. Our family trumps coffee any day."

"That's true, but you're still allowed to miss it." Mike gave him a smile. "Caffeine is practically part of your DNA."

Donatello smiled back faintly, then grimaced at the thought of eating the synthetic food. He rolled his eyes as he decided to choke it down and quit whining over it. While he worked through the warmed mush, his gaze was slowly drawn over to Ezra.

"I don't suppose you have any brilliant ideas concerning where we should go next?" the purple-masked turtle asked.

The Irishman shook his head. "I've been all over this planet, turtle, but it was always in the ranks of the slave company. I doubt I can even lead us out of the wilderness. We could survive here for a time, due to the long life on the provisions and the ground water below."

Donny sighed. "That's not an option for us. Our friends need to be rescued, and our family is waiting without any idea what's happened. We can't just stay here and take our time to figure out the next step. We have to get moving again, even if we don't know what we're doing. We can't kick back and relax."

"I don't expect you to," the man answered. "The real problem is we have no means of transportation, and three members of our team are still indisposed. As we have no intention of leaving them behind, we have to give them time to sufficiently recover before forcing them to walk across the desert."

Donatello knew Ezra was right, so he didn't bother trying to argue with his reasoning. "I can't help wanting to hurry though," he muttered impatiently. _Jenna, Brandon, Jazz…they're all out there, and they need our help. Our family is doing who know's what. Whatever it takes to get out of the wilderness and back on solid ground, we have to do it. _He snapped out of thought suddenly to find Ezra staring at him.

"Is everything all right?" the man asked.

"I agree with you – the patients need time to recover. It's just…we've _already_ been separated from our family and friends for a long time. Three of our people are still in danger. That idea alone makes me not want to sit here."

"And it doesn't help that one of them is your wife," Ezra said sympathetically.

"It wouldn't help anyway," Mike chimed in. "You mess with someone in our family - you mess with all of us. We've _got_ to get them out of there."

The anxiety that entered his younger brother's voice made Donatello cringe. "We'll get there, Mikey. This wilderness can't last forever. There has to be another side."

Donny heard a grunt from Leonardo's direction and decided he needed to check on him. He set the pot down and patted Mike's arm. "Thanks, Bro."

"Please don't tell anyone I served that crap."

"I'll take it to the grave, Mike."

Raphael grinned up at him as he approached. "Nice of you to join us, Genius. I was starting to wonder if we'd see you before next week."

"Nope. I'm great – never better," Donatello said sardonically, and knelt down by the blue-masked turtle. "Hi, Leo. How are you doing?"

Leonardo cracked a smile. "I'm okay…still kind of shaky and sick to my stomach. I feel a lot better than yesterday."

"I'm going to check out your war wounds if that's all right," Donny suggested.

"And _I'm_ going to make myself scarce for a few minutes," Raphael said casually.

"You have some problem with seeing blood?" Donatello teased.

"No problem at all, as long as the smart guys are dealing with it," Raphael returned. "C'mon, Mikey. Let's go check the water situation downstairs," he said tongue-in-cheek.

Donatello sighed in relief at the way his younger brother bounded to his feet to join Raphael. He watched them leave the cavern, and Leonardo's brown-eyed gaze was waiting for him when he glanced down.

"Mike's looking good too, huh?" Leo said.

"He is, and it's a huge burden off my mind. Now you need to catch up." He knuckled Leonardo's shoulder lightly.

"Don't I know it. I'm sorry I got us into this, Don."

"Why do you have to act like it was your fault?"

"I made the decision to work with the Ruairi—"

The mad dash Raphael and Michelangelo made back inside the cavern caused Leonardo to stop and Donny to almost hit the ceiling.

"Guys, we got company," the red-masked turtle hissed.

Donatello leaped to his feet. "What did you see?"

"There's a ship in the canyon; it just landed," Raphael replied, and looked at Leo. "I was thinking that Donny, Mike, and I would have a look, Fearless."

Leonardo's brow furrowed. "I guess…you guys need to. But please be careful. I can't chase right after you."

"We've got each other's shells, Leo," Raphael assured him. "We'll be back as soon as we can." The red-masked turtle made eye contact with Ezra. "Can you hold down the fort again?"

"What will you do?" the man asked.

"Find out who's there, and take them down if we have to," Raphael answered simply.

Ezra swallowed, obviously uncomfortable with the plan. "I suppose you know what you're doing."

"You got that right," Mike returned.

"Take my other dirk," Leo urged.

The older turtle scooped up the free blade and held it out toward Donatello. The purple-masked turtle gripped the golden handle tightly as he turned the weapon over in his hand, getting a feel for the weight.

Raphael nodded toward the entrance. "Let's go."

Donny's heartbeat resonated loudly in his chest while they carefully descended the mountain path. There was only one ship in the canyon, but that didn't mean there weren't more enemies present. He was grateful to have his brothers at his side, but his confidence felt shaky. _If there are too many of them or more coming…God help us, we've got nowhere to go! We can't even run._

He silenced his worst fear and followed Raphael's lead, skirting close to the rock face and staying low to the ground. Donatello prayed continually that they wouldn't be seen on the way down, even as his gaze shifted between the ground and the sky, watching for more ships.

At the bottom the three turtles lingered silently beside the mountain, studying the canyon laid out before them. Donny felt exposed in the full light of day, and kept Leonardo's dirk ready in his hand in case he needed it. _Did some of the Ruairi come back to finish us off? I don't recognize the ship though. It's more likely that they're Overlords. Could they have inadvertently been led here by the beacon on the air ship?_

His inner wonderings were doing nothing but distracting him, so Donny forced his mind to be quiet once more. Raphael was the first to begin moving into the canyon, venturing toward the air ship. They huddled around the side of the craft while they tried to determine their next move.

"Do you think we should check onboard?" Donny whispered.

"I don't know," Raphael murmured. "I think we better wait this out for a minute."

Mike took a deep breath. "Y'know…if we take these guys out, we could probably use their ship. This might have been the best thing that coulda happened."

Raphael shook his head. "I don't share your enthusiasm."

Donatello tensed when he heard the sound of a hatch opening. "Here we go," he said softly.

"Just hold tight and nobody move yet," Raphael commanded quietly. The red-masked turtle peered around the corner at something the other two turtles couldn't see, tensing visibly.

Donny heard a pair of footsteps and held his breath. Without another word Raphael suddenly lunged from the ground and disappeared around the front of the air ship. The purple-masked turtle inwardly cursed as he hurried after him. He had to swiftly backpedal as Raphael stopped to hurl a figure against the craft.

"_Raph_, what the shell…" Donatello trailed off as he recognized the shocked elohim in front of them.

"Terrapins!" Kenric gasped.

Raphael eyed the elohim suspiciously and didn't lessen his grip on the alien. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Who else is with you?"

"N-no one, no one," he stammered. "I did not expect to find _you_ here. I only followed the last known coordinates that Bahri sent me."

"Well then who _were_ you looking for?" Raphael's tone sharpened further.

"Bahri and Ghyath. I was afraid something happened to them. When the Overlords brought the Ruairi back to Arcadia—"

"They already found them?" Donatello interrupted. "What about Kamryn? Is she okay?"

"Kamryn? Oh…you mean the young woman?"

"Yes! _Is_ she okay?" Donny repeated.

Kenric nodded. "She was unharmed as I understand it. Both she and the Ruairi claimed you terrapins disappeared from the group the morning after you left Arcadia."

"That's not quite how _I'd _describe the events," Don fumed. "We were more like abandoned."

Kenric shook his head. "I _knew_ it could not be true. I talked to Bahri only three days ago, and he told me otherwise. But what _did_ happen? The Ruairi left you stranded?"

"First they drugged us and tried to kill your buddies," Raphael said tersely.

The elohim's eyes widened. "Tried to? Where are Bahri and Ghyath? What is going _on_?"

"The Ruairi injected them with what Bahri said should have been a lethal dose of neurotoxin," Donny told him. "Fortunately he had the antidote, and it was enough to ward off paralysis. But Leonardo was attacked too, and Bahri made me give him the majority of the vials."

Kenric blinked rapidly. "Where is everyone?"

"Come with us," Raphael said stoically.

Kenric trailed behind the three turtles as they led the way back to their cavern. No one said a word until they'd nearly reached the top.

"Who is that?" Kenric asked.

Ezra stumbled backward at their approach, uncertainty shining in his eyes.

"He's our friend, Kenric," Raphael replied, then looked at Ezra. "It's okay. He's one of the good guys."

Kenric pressed forward into the cavern, his gaze searching out the other elohim. The alien was across the rocky floor in three swift strides, and dropped to his knees by his friends. "Bahri?"

The elohim already has his eyes open, but didn't respond.

"Bahri, are you all right?" Kenric persisted.

Bahri cleared his throat painfully. "Kenric. You came after us?"

"The Overlords caught the Ruairi, and we were worried about you."

Bahri gave him a weak smile. "You are a _good _friend, Kenric."

"I am relieved to find you alive, but you still need medical attention. We should leave this place and get everyone to safety."

"Where?" The three turtles nearly asked in unison.

"What do you think, Bahri?" Kenric asked thoughtfully. "Should we take them to Zokcimel?"

"I can think of no better place," he said wearily. "Your arrival is fortunate."

Donatello felt himself bristling. _I don't know about this. We have to get more information before we go _anywhere _with these people._


	55. Alliance

*** Wow, would you believe that we're at the half-way point? Still so many places to go, things to do, and people to rescue. Thanks for reading with me thus far...and I hope you enjoy what it is to come.**

* * *

><p>Raphael was sitting on the cavern floor next to Leonardo, and had absolutely no intention of budging from that spot until they got some answers. "We're grateful that you guys gave up the antidote to help save Leo, don't get me wrong," he started slowly. "But on the other hand, you still haven't been straight with us from the beginning. It's obvious you want something from us. I think I speak for all my brothers when I say we're not going <em>anywhere<em> unless you tell us what's up."

Kenric exchanged a glance with Bahri, and _tried_ to look at Ghyath. The golden-eyed elohim was focused on the cavern floor.

"Can someone help me?" Bahri finally requested.

Kenric knelt down behind him and helped him sit up. Bahri started to raise his hand to make a motion, but he only made it a couple of inches.

"Everyone, please sit down," Bahri invited. He waited expectantly while the others huddled up closer in a circle. "I realize I have not given you many reasons to have faith in me. I do not wonder why you question our motivation. The truth is we _do_ hope to get something from you, at least…if you are who we think you are.

"But in the end, it is your choice. You are the ones who must choose to follow us now. You are not our captives…and you will not become our prisoners. If you should choose to go another direction, we will not hinder you.

"We wish to help you, and that includes retrieving your endangered loved ones. I cannot tell you how it will be accomplished. I do not pretend to know what will happen today or tomorrow…but we are not your enemies, terrapins. Our hearts are in the right place, even if you have not been able to see them yet."

Leo grunted as he shifted his position on the ground. "I hope you aren't getting your hopes up over us based on the word of your prophet. You understand how crazy this sounds, don't you?"

"Certainly, Leonardo." Bahri nodded. "Why do you think I have not spoken of it before?"

"But you clearly believe it," the blue-masked turtle pressed.

"I _want_ to believe it," Bahri answered. "I want you to be the ones who can help us. But I know you did not ask for this. You did not choose to come here. I am making no demands of you, but am asking only for you to hear us out. Give us a chance. Then if you want nothing but to leave, we will not stop you."

"But what's the real deal?" Raphael asked doubtfully. "Is this a matter of we help you, then you help us? I don't get what you think _we_ can do about these Overlords. This is your home, and your people. We don't know anything about them."

"If you come with us, I promise I will do everything in my power to help you get your people back," Ghyath offered suddenly, sitting up on his elbows with difficulty. "That will be first priority as far as I am concerned, no matter what Joshua has to say."

"Joshua?" Don repeated. "Who's he?"

"He is our spiritual leader," Bahri returned. "You will be able to meet him at Zokcimel. I feel the need to reiterate that we are not going to force you to do anything."

The red-masked turtle looked at Leonardo, and he knew his brother's wheels were turning.

"Do we need to take a vote?" Leo asked.

Raphael glanced at Donny and Mike in turn. "I think we're gonna be behind you either way, Leo. Am I right, guys?"

Donatello nodded mutely, and Mike exhaled.

"I'm in for whatever," the orange-masked turtle proclaimed. "I just wanna go somewhere other than here."

Leonardo looked Bahri directly in the eye. "Can we trust you don't mean us any harm? Can we be on the same page without having to worry you're hiding things from us?"

The elohim held his gaze without blinking. "Leonardo, we have failed in many things, but we never meant to hurt anyone. We do not mean to hinder you again. I was wrong to hide Jenna's presence from you before." He glanced at Donatello. "But we will do everything we can to make this right."

Leo snuck another look at Raphael, and the red-masked turtle shrugged.

"All right," Leonardo said. "I guess we're in."

Bahri bowed his head. "Thank you for your trust, terrapins."

"Don't make me regret this, Bahri," Leo said pointedly. "You won't enjoy the results."

"I believe you, Leonardo."

"Well then, let's blow this popsicle stand," Mike suggested, jumping to his feet. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm sick of trying to sleep on the rocks."

Kenric nodded. "We should get the sick to the ship first, and then we can return for your other effects."

Raphael immediately got a hand on his older brother's arm. "You wanna give me a hand with Leo, Donny?"

"I think I can walk," Leo inserted.

"'Think' ain't gonna cut it, Bro," Raphael told him. "Just don't fight us, and this'll go so much faster."

Leonardo closed his mouth at once, and Raphael instantly knew how tired he really was. _He gave up awful quickly. Gonna have to keep an eye on him._

* * *

><p>Raphael only took the time to help Donatello get Leonardo settled onto one of the seats in the small air ship, and then patted his purple-masked brother's shoulder. "You got him? Mikey and I can go back for Ghyath."<p>

Donatello nodded. "We won't leave without you," he said sardonically.

When he returned to the cavern to assist his youngest brother with the remaining elohim, they found Ghyath silent and withdrawn once more. The golden-eyed elohim had rarely spoken over the last several hours, but now that it was down to only Ghyath and the two turtles, Raphael felt the freedom to ask a question that was plaguing him.

"Are we fooling ourselves here, Ghyath? Is there _any_ chance of us getting home?"

Ghyath looked up immediately. "There will be hope for that, no matter what happens with the Overlords."

"That's good," Mike said. "Because we've pretty much got our hearts set on going back to our kids."

The alien drew in a deep breath. "You have children of your own?"

Raphael nodded, indicating to Michelangelo. "_He_ was our biggest kid for a long time, but now we've got real ones." As the words left his mouth, he couldn't help wondering if he should have spoken them.

"How old are they?" Ghyath asked.

"I…uh…they're just kids," Raphael said awkwardly, not wanting to continue.

The elohim looked at him sadly, as if reading the turtle's mind. "Not all elohim are like the Overlords..'"

The red-masked turtle shook his head. "No…but it only takes a few rotten ones to really screw things up. Sorry. I'm just not comfortable talking about the rest of our family, y'know?"

Ghyath nodded. "I understand, Raphael. If I were in your position, I would probably not want to either."

Raphael was assailed with guilt while he and Mike carried the elohim out of the cavern and into the sunlight. _Either we're gonna trust them, or we aren't. There's no half way. _He sighed. "I got a little girl," he told Ghyath. "She's only three years old. We've all got wives and our family waiting around on us. That's why I have to ask, Ghyath. That's why I wanna be _sure_ we get back there."

"You need a crew and a ship." Ghyath replied. "One person cannot make the flight alone; it requires a highly specialized team. I have never flown one of the space crafts before. You would want someone who has experience with the challenges and risks that accompany using the boosters. I will help you find the team you need, no matter what you decide concerning the prophecy."

"Why are you guys so convinced we can help?" Raphael shook his head.

"We are _not_ certain, Raphael. No one can be sure of anything, especially with the _Ruairi's _betrayal fresh in our minds." Ghyath spoke the word like it was poison. "We trusted in them, and it all proved for naught."

"People do stupid things sometimes, Ghyath," Raphael offered. "It doesn't mean you screwed up by trusting them."

His golden-eyes widened slightly. "Are you hearing my thoughts, terrapin?"

"No, I've just got a stubborn leader-minded older brother, and I think you two have a lot in common. You've kind of acted like _he_ would have through this whole thing."

"You have no idea how long we waited and planned. We do not have the numbers…" Ghyath trailed off. "You do not realize what a tremendous blow this is."

"Maybe not, but you ain't dead," Raphael reminded him. "That's pretty good for starters. One of your buddies came out here after you. That should make this a _good _day."

"There will not be a good day on Zuhur until the evil that drives this planet is overwhelmed," Ghyath murmured.

Raphael had to force himself not to chuckle as he imagined Leonardo saying something similar. "Don't forget this isn't over yet, Ghyath."

* * *

><p>The trip in the air ship was uneventful so far, but Raphael still felt on edge. As bored as he was with the mundane activities and sitting in one place, he also didn't enjoy not knowing what was coming next.<p>

When Kenric announced they were within a few minutes of their destination, Raphael glanced at Leonardo. His older brother had fallen asleep before the ship even left the ground. Confident that Leo would be all right without a babysitter, the red-masked turtle unbuckled and wandered up the aisle to find the cockpit.

The vast wilderness stretched around them for miles, but a large range of mountains filled up the landscape in front of them.

"Is that where we're going?" Raphael asked.

Kenric jerked so hard that his seat tilted. "Terrapin. You startled me. I did not know you were there."

"What _is_ it with all of you calling us 'terrapin'? We have names. Am I supposed to walk around calling you 'elohim', or is your type above that?"

The alien's cheeks changed color; something Raphael hadn't realized was possible. "My apologies, Raphael. Your kind is still new to us. I mean no offense."

"I'd rather you talked to us like friends than some rare animal species."

"You would call yourself my friend?" The elohim gave him a quizzical glance.

"If you prove you _are_ one. You're doing better now, even if you had a rocky start with Donny."

Kenric winced. "He has not said anything about me stunning him at Central. I do not know whether I should bring it up."

"I wouldn't. Donny doesn't tend to hold grudges, but where Jenna's concerned…I don't know if the rule will stick. Don't give him any more excuses to get ticked off with you. Actually, that goes for all of us." Raphael smirked, enjoying Kenric's confused look.

"It is very hard to tell how you feel about me, Raphael."

The turtle chuckled. "You don't have to wonder much, Kenric. If I don't like you, you're gonna _know_."

The elohim gave him an unsure smile. "I will try to treat you more like one of our own. Is that what you want from me?"

"Just act normal, whatever that means for you." Raphael leaned over a control panel to look closer out the window, but was careful not to touch anything. "We heading for those mountains?"

"Yes, that is exactly where we need to go."

"What did you call this place?"

"Zokcimel."

"That's a mouthful. Does it mean something?"

"Roughly translated from our tongue it means 'Hidden Rock.'"

"Hidden Rock. Ain't a mountain kind of big to hide? Have you got some fancy technology to make it invisible or something?"

Kenric chuckled. "You may be surprised how _little_ technology we operate on inside Zokcimel. The range itself is not hidden, but the underground catacombs where we take residence are much harder to find if you do not know where they are."

"Sounds good. Who lives here?"

"A few dozen elohim who have been exposed as subversive – those we were able to spirit out of Arcadia. There are also a number of slaves there who were commissioned to be killed."

"So…some of you live here, but not all of you?"

"It is the only safe place we can readily convene without fear." Kenric turned his attention to the instruments and the screen directly in front of him. "As I said, our technology is limited. I hope you are not disappointed."

"You got something to sleep on beside rocks?"

Kenric sent another smile over his shoulder. "Yes, I can attest to that."

"Then I'll be pretty satisfied." Raphael sat down in the empty seat to Kenric's right. "How many of these rebel elohim are there?"

"There are roughly 2200 who oppose the Overlords, at least that we know of. Around 150 must dwell at Zokcimel for their own protection."

"And the rest of you are still mixed in with the regular population?"

"Yes, Raphael. We prefer to remain hidden in plain sight, in order to gain access to information, supplies, and restricted areas."

"I guess it makes sense, but I don't know how you do it. I'd never be able to keep my temper under cover like that."

"Some do struggle more than others, particularly those who are physical."

"Right. You guys don't mix the physical and mental gifts much."

"It is not often seen," he acknowledged.

Raphael peered out at the mountains again. "How many are there, Kenric?"

"How many what?"

"If you were gonna go up against the Overlords for a fight, how many would turn out?"

"The last census was a couple of years ago. It determined their battle-ready population to be around 375,000."

Raphael's breath caught in his chest. _And they think _we _can help? Nothing but a miracle could beat those odds._


	56. Zokcimel

Michelangelo could barely contain his excitement as they rode further underground through sparkling catacombs. The orange-masked turtle hadn't been thrilled by the prospect of spending a lot more time in _their_ cavern, but this place was another matter. _It's different because we're not sitting around waiting for something to happen. _

He reached out of the small transport in which they were riding to touch the tunnel wall, marveling at the way the surface glittered under the fire light. "What's in the rock, Kenric?"

"There are a number of mineral deposits, but the largest portion is arsitine. It is an important component we need to make a very special alloy."

"Arsiterite?" Donatello suggested.

Kenric looked at him with surprise. "You know this already?"

"Just a guess, because the name sounded similar. Yasir used the alloy to repair my knee," the purple-masked turtle said casually.

"The Doctor favors you," Kenric stated. "Arsitine is not the easiest material to come by, with the exception of the large deposits in Zokcimel."

"Then the Overlords don't know it's here?" Raphael asked.

"No more than they realize that _we_ are," he answered.

"So what is this mineral used for?" Mike asked.

"It has a variety of uses, ranging from medicinal as in your brother's case, and being cast for weapons and equipment."

Leonardo's head had been resting against the back of the seat, but it shot upright at the elohim's words. "What _kind_ of weapons?"

"It can be used anywhere we would typically employ some type of metal, from rifles to—"

"What about blades?" he interrupted.

Kenric nodded. "Yes, it is possible. The forging process takes longer because of the high heat necessary to mold the alloy, but the resulting weapon is also much stronger than say…well, you are familiar with steel, are you not?"

"I should say I am."

"It is at least fives times stronger than the Earth material."

The blue-masked turtle exhaled. "I need to hear a lot more about the forging process. Do you have any experts around here?"

Kenric nodded once more. "What is it you wish to make, Leonardo?"

"I want to replace my katanas. The dirk isn't a bad weapon, but it's not the most effective one either."

"Katana?" Kenric repeated. "I am not familiar with this word."

"I'm sure you've heard of swords; a katana is a special variety. I know how to fashion them, but I'll need some help if there are extra steps to the forging process with this alloy."

The elohim gave him a small smile. "I think I can find someone for you."

"But you're going to have to wait for a couple of days, Leo, at least," Don reminded him. "You're nowhere near ready for that much effort."

The oldest turtle gave him a hard look.

"Hey, just because we aren't at home doesn't mean you get out of having your permission slip signed off," Donatello told him. "You know how this works, Bro."

"I see exactly how it works. You're going to be _twice_ the pain in the shell as normal since Doc isn't here."

"It's a tough job, but someone has to do it," Donny retorted.

Mike grinned to himself. Hearing Leonardo argue with Donatello meant he _had _to be feeling better.

"We will get to all that," Kenric said, sounding amused himself.

"Are Bahri and Ghyath going to be all right?" Don asked suddenly.

The two elohim had been whisked ahead of them in a separate transport. It hadn't made sense to Mike at the time, but _now_ he realized they still needed prompt medical attention.

"They should be," Kenric said hopefully. "The fact that they had _some_ of the antidote was helpful. We will complete the cleansing process, and they should recover soon."

Leonardo looked troubled. "It sounds like they would have readily died for me."

"They would have," the elohim replied simply. "Without a doubt."

Leo shook his head. "What _is_ it with you people and these 'chosen?' We may have a certain set of skills, but we're not super heroes. I'm nervous to find out what it is you want from us."

"It is not as mystical as you are thinking," Kenric assured him.

"Really?" Raphael challenged. "You say there's a man who converses with God, who told him in advance that we were coming? Does that sound normal to _you_?"

"I suppose it sounds like madness, but that is only because you have not met Joshua yet."

"I don't see how that'll change anything," the red-masked turtle muttered.

"You do not need to fear us, in any case," Kenric continued. "We are all believers in El. We serve the One God who is over all and in all. That alone should tell you that we do not mean you any harm."

"Is this like your church then?" Mike wondered. "Is Joshua the only one who hears from God?"

"No, others can hear," Kenric replied. "It is just that Joshua has a special gift, a clarity that can come only from El."

"How do you know he ain't making it all up?" Raphael snorted, and Leonardo gave him a warning glance. "What, Fearless? We're all thinking it. Somebody has to ask."

"The ways of El can seem incredibly strange," the elohim acknowledged. "They could be called utter foolishness by some. But when you truly encounter Him, when you see His power before your very eyes…then you know it is right to follow Him."

Mike cocked his head. "Are you talking about God or Joshua?"

Kenric chuckled. "There are many who revere Joshua and call him a holy man. But he is _only _a man, a conduit through whom El chooses to flow. The power and authority come from El, and Joshua is merely a mouthpiece. I cannot tell you to trust that Joshua hears from El, but I believe you should meet him before you pass judgment," he finished pointedly.

Raphael glanced at Ezra, who'd been silent for the last several minutes. "You ever met this guy, Ezra?"

The Irishman gave him a tolerant smile. "You are forgetting what I am, Raphael. I've met very few humans outside of my own slave regiment. All of this is as new for me as it is for you."

"Feels good to be in the same boat," Mike offered. "At least we're here together, huh?" His brothers' responses were somewhat less than enthusiastic. "C'mon, you guys. A few hours ago we were stuck in a cave on the backside of the wilderness with no options. Now we've been rescued and we're gonna have the chance to get our family back."

Leonardo smiled. "Leave it to you to remind us, Mikey." He focused back on Kenric. "We appreciate any help you can offer. As hard as it is to put ourselves into the hands of complete strangers…I should have obeyed my gut from the start. I was comfortable with Bahri, and I _always_ felt unsure about the Ruairi. I wish I'd never allowed myself to be swayed by them. I feel like an idiot. It was right there in front of me. _You_ saw it, Don."

The purple-masked turtle shrugged. "All I saw was their weird curiosity about Kamryn, and I got overprotective."

"I don't think you can call it 'overprotective' now that the Ruairi showed their true colors," Raphael pointed out.

"At least she is in a familiar place," Kenric told him. "The Overlords' custody may not be ideal, but it is better than not knowing where she is."

Donny made a face. "They'll preserve her life all right, but Yasir is still messed up. When we go back for Jenna…guys, I want to look for Kamryn too. I don't know how we can keep her alive, but…"

"But that Yasir dude is a psycho, and you don't want him hurting Kamryn any more than he already has," Mike filled in. "I think we're all down with that."

The transport fell silent for a few moments, and the orange-masked turtle noticed the catacombs were widening out slightly.

Leonardo was gazing around too. "Where are you taking us right now?"

"Somewhere to settle in and rest, perhaps eat if you are hungry. I would stay nearby to see to your needs myself, but I do not want to invade your privacy. I understand you may have things to discuss."

Donny raised a hand. "What _I_ need is to get a look at any spare electrical components you've got lying around. And if you're harboring some experts on Zuhur's radio frequencies, I need to talk to them too."

Kenric looked at him curiously. "Radio frequencies? What do you intend to build?"

"I could be getting ahead of myself," Don admitted. "First I need to find out if our beacons are live."

"Your beacons? I do not know what you mean."

"Genius here injected us with chips a few years ago," Raphael inserted. "He's hoping he might be able to use the same signal to track down the rest of our people."

Kenric shook his head slowly. "I do not know much about such things, but there may be one or two who could help you with a project like that one. Have you built things of this nature before?"

"Are you kidding?" Mike scoffed. "Donny's a wizard. Why in one day—"

"Mike, can you eighty-six the exaggerations before they even get started?" Donny pleaded, and then turned to Kenric. "I have plenty of experience with rebuilding and inventing new technology. It's not on par with anything you _elohim_ have, but it's not bad by Earth's standards."

Mike laughed. "Yup, not bad at all," he said teasingly.

"Mikey…"

The orange-masked turtle gave him what he considered one of his most irresistible smiles. "I'm stopping, Donny, but sooner or later you're gonna have to quit _under _exaggerating. "

Donatello rolled his eyes. "You'll never stop bragging about me, will you?"

"You could try turning the tables," he suggested. "Tell all these elohim about how I can kick some serious shell."

Don cracked a smile as he glanced at Kenric. "Oh, he _can_. Mike's like a hybrid of the Energizer Bunny and a lethal weapon."

"The Energizer Bunny?" Kenric was clearly lost.

"You think they got any wood around this place?" Mike asked, immediately shifting the subject.

Kenric shook his head apologetically. "Not exactly…but we have a synthetic material that serves as a good substitute."

"You ever make weapons out of it?" Mike wanted to know.

"Well, I suppose it could be used that way. I _have_ heard none of you think highly of guns."

"Any idiot can point a gun," Raphael said derisively. "It takes talent to use ninjutsu and fight with _real_ weapons."

Leonardo cleared his throat loudly. "Not that we're calling any of _you_ an idiot," he corrected. "Guns don't mesh well with our code of honor."

"I agree that the fashion in which you fight would take much more work to master," Kenric said quietly.

"It comes along with a ton of practice," Don said thoughtfully.

"I am sure we could learn a lot from you," Kenric told him.

"Lessons start first thing tomorrow morning," Mike said glibly. "Don't be late or ol' Fearless will put the smack-down on you."

"Smack-down?"

"Sure, dude. Don't you elohim have anything like wrestling? One guy completely wails on the other. It's a smack-down."

"I have never heard such a phrase."

"You're gonna get quite an education from hanging out with us." Mike gave him a toothy grin.

"I will try to adjust accordingly."

Mike barely kept from laughing. "Do you _always _take things so seriously? Isn't there some point when your people kick back and have fun?"

"We are known to laugh on occasion," the elohim said cluelessly.

Michelangelo sighed. "What you really need to do is take a chill pill."

"A chill pill? Is that some kind of drug?"

Donatello covered his mouth to stifle a snort. "It _can_ be, but Mike's just telling you to try and relax a little."

Kenric looked back and forth between Mike and Donny. "With all of the obstacles you are facing, I do not understand where your humor comes from. I would be overwhelmed in your position."

"We _are,_" Mike said. "But that's part of the reason we have to break the tension. Otherwise, we'd go crazy."

"That is an interesting way to see it."

Mike winked at the alien. "You'll get there, Kenric. Stick with us, and you'll learn to have fun too. I'll walk you through the process like a true professional."

Raphael groaned. "When you start taking lessons in 'fun' from the Chucklehead, there's no telling what'll happen."

Mike clasped his hands behind his head with a grin. "It's an art form, Kenric, but it can be learned."

The red-masked turtle shook his head. "Run now, while you still have the chance."


	57. Wicks

Leonardo dearly wanted to look around the catacombs, but all he _felt _like doing was crashing. He was relieved to see what looked like real mattresses inside the room to which Kenric brought them, and he had a hard time not flinging himself down the moment they entered the space.

Dignity made the blue-masked turtle hold his ground while the elohim made a circuit around the room, lighting various torches in enclosed boxes hanging from the rock. As he hesitated, Leo felt a muscular arm press against his shell from behind, and glanced back at Raphael.

"C'mon, Fearless. No reason for you to be standing around."

Leonardo sank onto the edge of a bed, and his brothers stuck close to him while they waited for Kenric to finish creating more light.

The elohim bowed his head solemnly before addressing the turtles again. "Most of the accommodations in Zokcimel are dormitory style. I hope that is convenient for the four of you."

"We're open to pretty much anything," Don answered.

"Very good." Kenric nodded. "What do you wish to do now? I understand some of you require rest, but you are not confined here either. I would be happy to show you around when you're ready."

Raphael cast a long look at Leonardo and shook his head. "We're cool. I think we're gonna stick together for now."

"I assumed you would want to. I will send for food and drink at once."

"Water?" Leo requested hopefully.

"Yes, we have plenty," Kenric assured him with a smile. "There is an underground reserve, which is another reason the catacombs serve us well. I will leave this for you at least, terrapins."

The elohim started to hand one of the link communicators to Raphael, and the red-masked turtle shook his head.

"Give it to Donny," Raphael said.

Kenric took a moment to show Donatello a couple of functions, and then the purple-masked turtle tucked the device away.

"Can you let me know what's happening with Bahri and Ghyath?" Donny requested.

"That is where I am headed next. I will either return here myself, or contact you if I am busy with something else."

"Okay – thanks." Don's gaze followed the elohim while he exited through the door, which worked with nothing but a normal handle.

Michelangelo balanced on the end of another bed, drawing one knee up beside him. "I guess we traded one cave for another, but this one seems a whole lot cooler."

"That's 'cause there're _people_ in it, Chucklehead," Raphael said, and then turned to Leonardo. "Why don't you lie down, Bro?"

Leo relaxed a little bit, but didn't give in entirely. He felt himself drawn back to Donny, who appeared more restless than Mike for a change. _Don has things he needs to do – of _course_ he's antsy. _"Hey, Don? You don't need to stay here on my account. I know you need to get to work on a few things. You won't get any of it done by watching me rest."

Donatello looked at the door. "I think I'm okay for the moment," he answered. "I'd better eat something before I get distracted, or it might not happen at all."

"Nice that you can admit that." Raphael snorted.

"Their food leaves less incentive than normal. I figured we could eat, and I'd wait to hear from Kenric about Bahri and Ghyath…then make a move after that. I don't want to leave—"

A knock at the door interrupted Donatello, and all four turtles turned its direction.

"Uh…come in?" Raphael called uncertainly.

The door swung open, and an individual torch illuminated the face of an African man. Leonardo sat up curiously, scooting back to the edge of the bed as the stranger came toward them. The man had a mass of black braids that nearly touched his shoulders and light brown eyes with an intensity that Leo couldn't break away from.

"Welcome, friends. I don't mean to disturb you." The human spoke English perfectly, but his voice was tinged with an accent that Leonardo was sure he'd heard before.

_South African maybe?_

"Who are you?" Raphael asked bluntly.

The man smiled and it transformed his entire countenance. "My name is Joshua."

"Oh. _You're_ the guy who thinks he's got us all figured out." Raphael scoffed.

Leonardo was embarrassed by his snide tone. "_Raph_."

Joshua didn't appear to be fazed. "Far from it. I know nothing except what El tells me."

"Does he make a habit of coming down to visit you?" Raphael challenged.

The man shook his head. "Many times it is merely an impression He gives me, or occasionally a handful of words to speak, and then His Spirit fills in the rest. He also speaks through visions and dreams. As a matter of fact, I had a dream last night."

"About what?" Mike was the first to bite.

The man looked over the four turtles slowly. "I dreamed of a dark place, very deep and untouched by the sun. There was also a candle; small, but the light it provided was intense, as if there were fifty more just like it. Out of the shadows more wicks joined the first until there were five, compacted together.

"The flames fed off of each other, growing taller until they appeared to reach several feet into the air. I remember seeing smaller lights in the background that seemed to come from nowhere…as if they were moths, attracted to the candles' flames." Joshua paused. "But there was also a tempest, a wind so violent that I don't understand how the candles weren't blown out. It came not once, but many times in varying intensity. Though they faltered, they were never overwhelmed.

"The moment came when the original wick _was_ blown out, and I immediately feared for the others that had grown strong in its midst. But the remaining four were powerful enough by this time to sustain themselves, and even when the gale force winds returned, they didn't go out. In their growing light, I could also see animals now."

"What animals?" Raphael demanded.

"There was a bull…and two birds. One was a dove of purest white, and the other was a phoenix, engulfed in flames of its own." Joshua hesitated once more. "There was another animal too, though this one was removed from the rest. It was a wolf that had somehow become lost. I worried when I first saw the creature, because it seemed to be helpless. But light came on wings like fireflies, and the wolf was comforted. I sensed that the spirit of the animal was not broken."

Leonardo cast a careful gaze at his purple-masked brother, but was unable to read whatever was churning under the surface of his emotionless expression.

Raphael cleared his throat. "What is all of that supposed to mean?"

Joshua shook his head. "That is not for me to know right now, but I felt moved to tell you."

Donny got to his feet suddenly. "I think I need to check on Bahri and Ghyath myself."

"You should do that," Leo said quickly. "Mike, go with him?"

"Leo, I'm all right," Don insisted.

"This is a new place for us." Leonardo gathered strength in his voice. "I don't want anyone splitting up yet."

"Okay," Donny said more quietly. "Joshua, it was nice to meet you."

To Leonardo, it seemed like the purple-masked turtle couldn't get out of the room fast _enough_.

Joshua glanced over his shoulder, and then returned to the remaining turtles. "Forgive me if I spoke out of turn. The urge to tell you was so strong that I came the moment I found out you'd arrived."

"What do you want from us?" Raphael asked stiffly. "You're the one who's telling everyone we're 'the chosen', aren't you?"

"I have told _no _one that. The phrase didn't even originate with me. El gave me utterance and from the prophecy, some of the elohim latched on to that title. I don't know how any of you could factor into such things - at least not yet."

Leonardo shot Raphael another look. "Maybe its better if we don't know the expectations that could be on us for now. The pressure is bad enough as it is."

Joshua stood up. "I am going to excuse myself, but I look forward to speaking with you again."

"We'll talk soon," Leo said mechanically, watching the man as he backed away.

When the door clicked shut, Raphael shook his head. "When are we gonna talk to Donny and Mike?"

The blue-masked turtle looked away. "I'm trying to focus on one challenge at a time, Raph. I _know_ we need to tell them."

His brother rested his chin in his hand. "Ghyath said we could get home, but that's not really gonna happen, is it? The threat is too big."

"This is _my _choice, Raph."

"As if we'd leave you to face the insanity by yourself? Leo, it won't happen."

"I don't know what to say to you. There are reasons that I have to do this—"

"And they're the same reasons we gotta stay together, now more than ever. You said it yourself, Fearless, we ain't super heroes. You can't save the Earth all by yourself."

"No, probably not…and neither will the _four_ of us," Leo murmured. "But we can't ignore the threat either."

* * *

><p>Michelangelo was silent as he walked alongside his brother, and furtively peered at Donatello. He knew Donny was reeling, but he wasn't positive if Joshua had helped matters or only made him feel worse. The imagery the man described concerning the animals would sound strange to some people, but the orange-masked turtle had a strong feeling what each of the creatures signified.<p>

_Even Raphy knew the bull had to be referring to Karina. A phoenix rising from the ashes sounds like a good fit for Calley. It only makes the other two seem _more_ obvious._

"Are you gonna talk to me?" Mike finally stopped thinking long enough to ask.

Don glanced at him. "I don't have much to say."

"I don't buy that. There are a lot of things you could say. You might be wondering if this Joshua is on the level, or if he made a few lucky guesses. Maybe he's just that good at manipulating people."

The purple-masked turtle stopped in his stride. "Is that what you really think?"

"I didn't say that. I'm only making suggestions to get _you_ started."

Donny exhaled shakily. "Mike, everything he described…it resonated with me. Even his vision of the girls fit so well, I'd swear he knew them. There's no way he could have guessed the significance of a bull or a phoenix or…"

"A dove," Mike said wistfully. "No, he got to me too, Donny. He made me feel like there's still some hope. Did you get that from him?"

Donatello didn't answer for a couple of seconds. "A little, I guess." He started walking once more. "But it still doesn't explain what Joshua's words mean for us."

"I don't think we can do anything except hang in there and wait to find out, Donny."

Don shook his head. "The one thing I _won't_ do is make our friends hang around. I have to get to work, _today_."

"Want me to come along and crack the whip over you?"

Donatello smiled. "If you don't actually distract me, I wouldn't mind having someone familiar nearby."

"I can be your 'someone familiar'! Is that a real job title?"

"It can be, if you want it." Donny drew up short as they came to a cross road in the tunnels. "Let me think. Kenric said it was….this way. It's close, Mikey, c'mon."

Donatello chose a direction and they walked about a hundred more feet, until they came to a block of several more dormitory style rooms. The first three they checked were empty, but there was a low hum of activity inside the fourth, as well as their former elohim counterparts.

Donny ventured into the room and Mike followed him, his gaze tracking over their sleeping friends.

Kenric came to meet them. "I would have come to get you."

"Your directions were fine," Don told him. "We needed the walk; I feel like I'm thinking straighter now. How are Bahri and Ghyath?"

"It is believed they will recover in a couple of days."

"That's good news." Mike grinned. "Are we gonna bother them by being here?"

"I should think not, unless you make an usual amount of noise."

"I can control myself," the orange-masked turtle promised.

"Then you are welcome to stay. I do not like the idea of them being here alone, whether they realize it or not."

"You honestly care about each other," Donny remarked.

"Yes," the elohim answered. "We consider this to be a family too." Kenric paused to stare at his friends, and then looked back at the turtles. "I have already spoken to the others about rations for you and your brothers. Do you require anything else?"

"I need somewhere to work," Donatello said honestly. "I don't want to delay trying to locate our people. The sooner I find out if we still _have _our beacons, the better."

Kenric nodded eagerly. "You can answer that question right now. Allow me." The elohim walked a few feet across the room to address someone else. "Alarid, will you bring your monitor over here?"

The second alien approached them shyly, ducking his head when Mike made eye contact with him.

"He can take a scan of your arm, Donatello, and then tell you if your chip is intact," Kenric explained.

"Good. I need to know what I have to work with."

"What am I looking for?" Alarid sounded confused.

"It's a homing beacon," Donny replied. "It should show up pretty easily."

When the elohim still avoided looking at them directly, Mike knew he needed to speak up.

"Hey, we're cool, dude. We're not gonna bite or anything, right, Donny?"

Donatello smiled encouragingly. "Not unless he bites first. Are you a biter, Alarid?"

A faint smile lit on the elohim's face and dark green eyes focused on them for the first time. "No. Never."

"Great; then we'll all get along." Mike chortled.

Donny extended his forearm to Alarid. "It'll be in this general vicinity."

While the elohim was taking the scan, Mike saw nerves leap up in his brother's eyes. _This is the best chance we have to find the others. I'm not surprised he's feeling anxious._

The scan itself only took a few moments, and then Alarid was quiet while he began to interpret images on his screen.

_It has to work – it has to. I don't know how Donny will react if something's happened to those beacons. _The silence in the room was deafening, and Michelangelo desperately wanted to break it. He exchanged a glance with Donatello, trying to appear reassuring.

Alarid looked up from his hand-held device and took a couple of steps toward Donatello. "I believe that I see something. Would you like to have a look?"

Donatello caught his breath as he studied the screen, and then the air released with a small _swoosh_. "That's the chip. This means I can get to work."

Mike beamed at him. "Coolness, Bro. These guys _are_ gonna get a chance to see what a genius you are."


	58. Spectrum

Donatello was silent for several minutes while he tried to pull his strategy together. He knew the two elohim techs were waiting for him to say something, but he wasn't going to rush the process just for their sakes.

The purple-masked turtle had taken apart two different devices they'd given to him expressly for the purpose of experimenting with their electrical components, one of which was designed to pick up a wide variety of frequencies. Now he was sorting his way through several individual pieces of technology that didn't feel as foreign to him as he'd expected. _Who knows how many different ways there _are_ to design a computer chip? The real difference between our technology and theirs is the capacity for power, both in the source that runs the device, and the speed at which it operates._

Donny was so enamored with the rapid responses of the hand-held monitor when he first examined the device that he had a difficult time dismantling it. _It's the nature of technology that it has to keep getting faster, but the power source becomes the two-edged sword. The more complicated a device, the more quickly it loses a charge. _

_The energy cells they use to power everything from small machines to vehicles are what really set them apart. Earth has tapped alternative energy sources to some degree, but nowhere near this level of productivity. Though the source seems to drain more quickly when the vehicles require a heavy output, it's extremely stable otherwise._

_I've got to quit being distracted by these cells. It's not the power output that matters at the moment, so much as the necessity to break these frequencies down one by one._

Donatello looked up from the components on the table, glancing at the two waiting elohim. "Can you give me a basic assessment of your radio spectrum?"

Nachum nodded. "It is a broad range of electromagnetic signals that can be harnessed for many uses, much like your own atmosphere."

"Yes, but I've heard your atmosphere is a _lot _more volatile than ours. Does that transfer into the reliability of the signals?"

"Not without a significant impact, such as when a tactical weapon was engaged to take down the crystal network," Ghysis answered meekly.

Ghysis was so tall that he struck Donatello as a giant, even when the elohim was sitting down. Despite his size, the elohim was soft-spoken and reserved, reminding the turtle of Alarid.

"I have studied Earth's electromagnetic field extensively," Ghysis said. "Your spectrum is wider, but the actual _type_ of waves is very similar."

"Why would you study ours?" Donatello asked. "Is it only a matter of curiosity?"

Nachum and Ghysis exchanged an uncomfortable look.

"Why would you study it?" he repeated.

Ghysis hesitated only a moment longer. "The Overlords want to know _everything _about your planet. It has been under scrutiny for hundreds of years."

The purple-masked turtle's heart skipped a beat. _The Overlords weren't trying to learn from us. They're way more advanced. The only other reason I can imagine for that type of investigation has a much creepier purpose._

"Do they want our planet?" Don demanded.

Nachum swallowed, averting silver-flecked irises. "That is their goal."

Donny looked over his shoulder at Michelangelo for his reaction. The orange-masked turtle was sitting quietly in the background, staying true to his promise not to be a distraction.

"Why haven't they done it yet?" Mike asked. "I mean, they don't have any problem _getting_ there."

"The Overlords are patient because they have more than enough time," Ghysis volunteered. "They will move when they are ready, and not before. They desire to use the remaining resources on Zuhur before transporting their entire civilization again."

"Holy shell, they're really going to do it," Don said to himself. "This changes everything."

Mike came up behind him. "It doesn't change that we need to find our friends."

"No," Donatello said stronger, resting his arms on the table. "The normal range our beacons broadcast in is around 1500 megahertz. Do you have an equivalent to that in your spectrum? I mean, there's no telling where the signal is currently transmitting, but we need to start _somewhere_."

"It may not be necessary for you to build anything," Nachum said. "It is likely we can locate the signal with one of our own devices."

Donny shook his head. "You don't understand. The beacons are heavily encrypted…it requires a certain connection to pick it up. I might be able to _modify_ one of your uh…What did you call it?"

"It is an Electromagnetic Spectrum Frequency Divider," Ghysis said solemnly.

Don snorted. "How about I call it a _divider_ for short? I know the specifics of how our beacons transmit. It would be easier for me to devise software to search for their pattern than to run through the spectrum by individual frequencies."

The two elohim exchanged another glance.

"Can you set up such particular parameters?" Nachum asked.

"I created these beacons, and their signature is unique. I think the best course of action would be to merge my pattern with your device, and let the computer do the rest of the work. Can you bring me another divider that's intact?"

Ghysis nodded. "This I must see."

* * *

><p>Donatello <em>hated<em> the feeling of people breathing down his neck, but he didn't say anything about it. _This is their home and I'm utilizing their technology. I still may need the elohim's help to navigate the spectrum, so there's no sense in sending them away. Yet._

Mike's presence was less bothersome, though Donny could feel his younger brother's tension mounting. He knew it had to do with the revelation of the Overlords' interest in the Earth, but Donatello hadn't had time to think about it. _I can't deal with the big picture yet, or I wouldn't have gotten my software done._

Donny leaned over the table further, fighting down hunger pains. They'd been in the room for a little over four hours, and the need to eat was asserting itself stronger with passing minutes.

"Donny?"

The purple-masked turtle jerked slightly; he hadn't realized his younger brother had come up behind him again.

"Do you have to babysit this thing, or can we get out of here for a few minutes?"

Donatello glanced at the numbers on the nearby clock, and realized he needed to check on Leonardo anyway. "Yeah…it's been a while, huh? We should get back to Leo and Raph."

"Uh huh," Mike agreed. "Is eating out of the question?"

Donatello shook his head. "We need to do that too."

Nachum took a step toward them. "Do you mind if I come with you? It is easy to get confused down here."

Donatello smiled, sensing the elohim had an underlying reason for accompanying them. "We have some experience with dark places, but that's fine with us."

"I shall remain with the device if you prefer," Ghysis said. "I will send word if it gets a strike. Is that not what you called it?"

Don nodded with as straight a face as possible. "Or a _hit_, Ghysis."

"Oh, yes," the alien replied with a sheepish smile.

Donatello gave him a thumb's up. "You know I'm carrying a link, right?"

"I will contact you if it finds something."

Nachum led the way out of the room, and walked slightly ahead of the turtles for a couple of minutes before sending a look back at Donatello. "You do not really need my help, do you?"

The purple-masked turtle shrugged. "It's a new place."

The elohim's luminous eyes shone with uncertainty. "You are not what I expected," he admitted. "But in a way, you are much _more_."

"What did you expect?" Mike asked.

"I do not know," he confessed. "That is the problem with trying to interpret the words of El with your own wisdom."

Michelangelo shook his head. "I think it'd be easy to try and make up your own meaning, especially when you really want something to be true."

Nachum didn't say anything for several steps. "We have been waiting long enough that we were quick to latch on to perceived hope."

"How did all of you even hear about us?" Donny asked.

"Word of unusual things travels quickly," Nachum answered. "Not the least of which were your exploits in the Matches. You garnered much more attention than you realize."

Donatello made a scoffing sound. "My exploits of slavery in the ring? Does it really impress people?"

Nachum paused in his step. "I did not mean to offend you, Donatello."

Donny sighed. "I know the Matches are viewed as entertainment by many of your kind, but needless violence isn't something I'm proud of. My brothers and I were raised to know better. Being thrust into that situation is one of the worst things I've been through, despite 'winning' so often. Just the fact that I had to hurt someone else to satisfy the Overlords' primal urges _still_ makes me sick."

Mike caught him by the arm. "It wasn't _your_ fault. You didn't ask to be in there or for people to attack you. You defended yourself."

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Donatello told his brother.

"I truly am sorry, Donatello," Nachum said.

"Don't worry about it," he replied emotionlessly. "Can we keep going?"

The elohim didn't say another word while he accompanied them back to the room where they'd left Leonardo and Raphael.

"Thanks for getting us here, Nachum," Donatello said awkwardly.

The elohim bobbed his head lightly. "I heard your brother mention food. Should I have something sent?"

"That works," Mike said quickly before Donatello could speak.

"It should not take long. I will see you later."

When Donny opened the door, he found the red-masked turtle stretching on the floor, and Leonardo was sitting across from him, flexing one of his legs.

Leo looked guilty when he met his gaze. "This isn't what it looks like."

"The shell it isn't." Raphael snickered. "Fearless here was trying to escape."

"And you can see how far I got." Leonardo played along.

"We're just unwinding," Raphael said. "Both of us are about as stiff as one of those rocks."

"A good idea, as long as you don't progress much further yet," Donny said warningly

"C'mere and take a load off with us," Raphael invited. "What have you been doing?"

"Working on a device that can locate our beacon's signal," Donny answered. "I modified a piece of their technology, and it's actively searching the radio spectrum to find our pattern. Now that the computer is taking over the brunt of the work, I think _we_ need to talk."

"What is it, Don?" Leo asked at once.

"We found out that our current problems are a lot bigger than _us_," Donatello told him. "The two elohim assisting me with this project have a thorough knowledge of not just their radio spectrum, but Earth's too. They confirmed that the Overlords have eyes for our planet."

The blue-masked turtle flinched. "Yeah, we…we've heard something like that too."

Donatello's first reaction was to be irritated his older brothers hadn't mentioned it, but the emotion felt worthless in light of their circumstances.

"What were you planning?" Mike asked flatly. "You guys have obviously talked about this."

"We _have_ talked," Leo said apologetically. "There are no plans, Mike. But Raph and I agreed we can't ignore the problem, because it's not going away. If anything, it'll only get worse. Maybe not today, or even fifty years from now, but it's just a matter of time before the Earth gets a nasty surprise; an unexpected attack they have no chance of being able to defend themselves from. The Overlords have the power to bring the world to its knees without even declaring war."

"But what are we supposed to do about it?" Mike demanded.

"I can't answer that, Mikey." Leonardo exhaled deeply. "But I can't _leave_ without at least trying to stop them."

Donny rested his forehead in his hands briefly. "The elohim don't have the numbers to wage a war on the Overlords, and I'd bet they can't match them for firepower either. It seems like the best solution would be to set a self destruct on the entire planet," he finished sarcastically.

"Are you forgetting about the slaves?" Raphael pointed out. "Are you ready to sign the death warrant for _everyone_?"

"I'm not ready to do anything," he said wearily. "The situation becomes more impossible every day we're here."

"I know it feels that way," Leo said. "But there could still be hope somewhere we haven't looked for it yet."

Donatello crossed and uncrossed his arms. "We've got to learn more about the resources they _do_ have available, and this Joshua guy."

"What did you think of him, Don?" Leonardo asked meaningfully.

"Like everything else, I think there's more to Joshua than you see on the surface," he answered diplomatically.

"I was kind of worried about you," his oldest brother said. "I hope you're not too angry with us for not speaking up about the situation. We had every intention of telling you."

Donny shook his head. "There's way too much going on to get angry over a technicality."


	59. Damsel

Raphael sat up with a startled grunt as someone hurried into their room. His hand automatically gripped his dirk, but he managed to check the instinct to throw it. "Who's there?" he demanded, squinting through the dim light being cast by two remaining torches.

"My apologies, Raphael," Kenric said quickly. "I was carried away in my haste."

"What's going on?" Donatello murmured, rolling over to face them. "What time is it?"

"There is an hour yet until sunrise, but Ghysis thought you would want the news. He believes the divider has fixed on the frequency over which your signals are transmitting; at least if your _own_ locations are any indication."

The purple-masked turtle swept his blanket aside as he darted to his feet. "Where is everyone working?"

Raphael chuckled softly. His genius brother sounded eager, but disoriented. He wasn't sure how Don could focus without caffeine.

"Slow down, Donatello, we _do_ have time, regardless of my hurry," Kenric told him. "We will not move until later on, when darkness falls in the evening."

"Wait a minute," Leonardo spoke up. "Your people will be ready to move that quickly?"

"We would rather not waste any more time," the elohim answered. "We know you are anxious to find your loved ones, and I doubt we act as a team before this is accomplished."

"It sounds like you already have a plan," Mike said doubtfully.

"We have discussed some options, but made no decisions." Kenric turned toward Donatello. "Would you like to come and confirm the signal yourself?"

Donny rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "Yeah, I'm coming. Guys, I'll let you know for certain when I'm sure."

When Don left with Kenric, Michelangelo rose too. "How about some of my famous pancakes and scrambled eggs?"

Raphael gave him a dark look. "Don't make me hurt you, Mikey. It's too early for that."

"We need to _talk_ to someone," Leonardo inserted, stopping the conversation from going further. "If they're about to move on a rescue, we have to get in on it."

The red-masked turtle nodded. "Okay. Lemme see who's alive out there."

When Raphael slipped out the door, he didn't immediately see anyone. A short jaunt a few yards away revealed a set of shadows, which turned out to be Kenric speaking to another elohim.

"Excuse me." Raphael stepped in-between the pair. "Where's my brother?"

"He went ahead of me while I finished here," Kenric replied, and then looked at his companion. "Tell Bahri I will come by in about an hour."

The other alien nodded and disappeared down the right end of the tunnel.

"What can I do for you, Raphael?"

"My bros and I need details. Do you know what's going on, or should I be looking for someone else?"

Kenric motioned behind him. "Nothing has been decided, Raphael, but I will tell you what we talked about."

The elohim followed him back to the room, and Raphael barely had the door open when he saw a figure stumble. Mike was at Leonardo's side faster than _he_ could have been, but it didn't stop the red-masked turtle from running too.

"_Don't_, Fearless; you gotta take it easy, remember?" he chided him.

"I may not have time for that."

Raphael's gaze narrowed. "I got news for you, Bro: you ain't going nowhere until you're ready. Sit your shell back down." He stood rooted to his spot until his older brother obeyed him, and then glanced over at Kenric. "So have you guys been kicking around ideas or what?"

"We have researched the locations of the two outlying beacons. One is in a slave compound, typically boarded by crews who work on the underground Aqueducts. The other is located in an upscale neighborhood on the fringe of Arcadia, the type of home that would acquire slaves for personal use. While we cannot identify your people by their individual signal, we are fairly certain who they are simply based on their coordinates. The Aqueducts would normally require a male, while a household slave is typically female."

"So you think that's Jazz," Leo said quietly.

"She would be our first target, because she will be easier to retrieve. It will probably take little more than a good distraction to spirit her out of the house. We already have a contact looking into the family in question."

"Then we're gonna get Jazz tonight?" Raphael verified.

"Well…yes, you could come, but it might not be necessary to risk it yourselves."

Raphael shook his head firmly. "Forget about leaving us out, Kenric. It ain't that we don't think you guys can do it, but these are our people…and this is what _we_ do best."

"What about Jenna?" Mike ventured. "Where is she?"

"The third unknown beacon is still transmitting from Central. If any of you want to come along tonight, we will _definitely_ have to wait until the household is settled down."

Raphael gazed at the elohim boldly. "Are you guys only cooperating to get us to do what you want?"

Kenric pursed his lips. "We are not going to _force _you to do anything, Raphael. As I said, we know these people are important to you, and that makes them important to us. The plan at the moment is to retrieve them one at a time, unless something changes with the man…Brandon?"

"What would change?" Mike asked anxiously. "They're not hurting him, are they?"

"That is highly unlikely," Kenric assured him. "By something changing I only meant that we already have some plants inside the Aqueducts, and they may be able to help him escape without our physical assistance. That would be ideal."

"Yeah, as long as they don't screw it up," Raphael muttered.

Leonardo gave him a hard look.

"You're thinking it too, Leo," he replied defensively.

"But I didn't _say_ it."

Mike shook his head at the two of them. "As long as we get them back, I don't care who saves 'em."

* * *

><p>(Twelve Hours Later)<p>

Raphael was in a familiar position, staying low in the back of a land cruiser to avoid being seen. The idea of someone spotting him was almost ludicrous with the night completely deepened around them, but he wasn't taking any chances, not when they were this close to finding Jazz.

It was hard to believe they'd gone from being stranded in the wilderness to being part of a rescue in a couple of short days. _In my wildest dreams, I never thought things could turn around this fast. It's crazy._

"Please explain to me why we aren't waiting until _everyone_ is asleep," Donatello requested.

"Because it will be simpler to gain access to the house if someone lets us in," Kenric replied. "I would rather have the Overlord firmly distracted than be worried about him waking up. We think this is the best plan, Donatello. We would rather you allowed our own people to search for her too."

"We've been through this, Kenric," Raphael said, annoyed. "You're just gonna have to let us do our thing. We can handle it."

"It is a large house, Raphael."

"We'll split up to cover more ground at once, and we'll be fine," Raphael insisted. "I'm telling you, we can do this."

"We totally can," Mike added. "We know what we're doing."

"I am counting on that," Kenric said nervously. "I do not want to get on Prugh's bad side. He is a dangerous Overlord."

"All you gotta do is keep him talking until you get the signal from one of us," Donatello reminded him. "We've got a wireless line of communication with the links. We've thought of everything, Kenric, believe me. We know this drill."

Raphael fidgeted with the tiny earpiece. He'd been afraid of breaking the device when one of the elohim had first shown it to him. He'd always been a little clumsy with Donny's version, but the alien technology was somehow more nerve-wracking because he could barely feel it in place.

"Are you guys comfortable enough with the links?" Donatello asked them on cue.

"We musta played with them for about three hours today," Raphael scoffed to cover up the remaining nerves. "We'll be okay, Donny."

The purple-masked turtle nodded in all seriousness. "Let's not waste this trip then."

Raphael shook his head. "Not a chance, Genius. I'll tear the house down before I leave without your partner in crime."

"That could attract the kind of attention we do not want," Kenric reminded him.

Raphael rolled his eyes. "It's an expression, Kenric. It means we're not gonna fail – not for anything."

* * *

><p>The artificial grass felt strange underneath Raphael's feet, but the turtle paid no heed to it as he and his brothers huddled around the side of the house, waiting for Kenric to gain entrance first. They had to wait for a couple of irritating minutes while the elohim conversed with someone at the front door, and then was admitted inside.<p>

"Now wait. Just hold on," Donny whispered. "Let them get settled into another room, and then we'll head around back."

The red-masked exhaled impatiently but stayed put until Donatello began creeping against the house toward the other end. When they approached the faint lantern light on the back porch, Raphael noticed that his brother had one of the elohim's small hand-held monitors. "What are you gonna do with that?"

"Kenric was supposed to scan the control panel to record the key strokes. If he did his job correctly, the information should have shared between our devices."

"Did it work?" Mike asked.

"We're about to find out," Don replied. The purple-masked turtle read carefully off the display before punching in corresponding numbers on the key-lock pad. "Yellow is good," he proclaimed quietly, right before the door popped open. "C'mon."

Donatello led the way into a narrow pass-through and they stayed close together until they emerged into a shadowed room that felt like a kitchen. The back of the house was so silent, Raphael was certain he could hear his own heart beating.

"The kids are supposed to be in bed, but that doesn't mean we won't run into someone. Are you sure about splitting up, Raph?" Donatello asked.

"Donny, we gotta get this _done_, just like we rehearsed with the outline," he said firmly. "I'm going upstairs." Raphael waited for his brothers to depart in their opposite directions before starting up a staircase, moving deliberately to avoid making noise.

The second floor met him with silence, but it didn't cause him to relax. Raphael was on edge as he passed by every closed door, unsure of _how_ far asleep anyone was. When he turned a corner he noticed light spilling out into the hallway from an open door a few feet away, and froze in his step. While he hesitated, he heard something that made his heart leap.

"You're not supposed to be here, Cacius!" an exasperated voice insisted.

The red-masked turtle knew the speaker anywhere. He immediately started inching closer to the light.

"I do not _have_ a bed-time,739," came the snide reply. "I am nearly grown."

"That might be the case, but I'm busy. Find something else to entertain yourself."

"It will not take long," the male wheedled. "You pay so little attention to me compared to the others."

"You're not a child! You don't need to be spoon-fed, do you?" she snapped.

Raphael almost snickered. _Tell him where to go, Jazz. I know you've still got it in you._

"My needs may be different, but that does not mean you should ignore me. I have yet to obtain a _real _teacher."

"You're young, Cacius. You'll find plenty of girls to 'school' you later."

"You would honestly turn my away? Do you not see that I can make your life here better or much worse than it already is?"

"I answer to your parents –not you," she returned stiffly. "Now get out of the way so I can finish this. You may not be tired after preening for your father all day, but _I'm _worn out."

"I do not _preen_."

"Whatever you wanna call it. I'm not impressed by show-offs, Cacius, and even if I was, I still wouldn't touch you."

A sound of a loud blow followed by a softened _thud_ made Raphael tense up, and then stride for the door before he could stop himself. The sight of a young elohim striking his friend across the face a second time was entirely too much to take, and the turtle silently descended. He chose the handle of his dirk, though he _really _wanted to plunge the blade into the alien's back.

"Cacius" never saw Raphael coming; he flopped facedown on the wet tile as the turtle looked around the richly appointed washroom. It took another moment for the turtle to realize the young woman was staring at him, aghast. _Shell, I never thought about what would happen if she didn't remember me. If I didn't know better, I might not recognize _her_._

Jazz's signature choppy style had been replaced with long straight hair of an even brown color. She looked so much younger without her typical hair and makeup, the turtle found himself staring at her too.

When Raphael took another step the woman backpedaled across the floor, knocking aside an overturned bucket as she ran into the wall. He swallowed while he recalled the _last_ time that Jazz had appeared that frightened.

"Jazz, please don't scream," he pleaded. "I ain't gonna hurt you; _don't _scream."

Her brow creased at his words, but she didn't seem to be relaxing.

"It's okay." He tried to sound soothing. "It's gonna be okay. We're here to get you out." Raphael took another step, striving to appear non-threatening. "You might not remember me right now, but you will. You _gotta_ trust me, Jazz. I wouldn't hurt you."

She warily gazed back at the turtle, grey eyes never faltering. Raphael was just beginning to feel desperate when the woman suddenly leaped from the ground and hurled herself him. He caught her in his arms and felt her entire body shudder.

"Uh…that'll do for starters, I guess," he said uncertainly.

Jazz sobbed into his shoulder and the sound was barely muffled by his arm. He could read her pain in the way she stiffened, but the young woman never let go of him.

"Get me _out_ of here, Raph!" she managed.

"Gladly." Without blinking he scooped his friend off the ground. "You're gonna be all right, Jazz. Breaking the barrier hurts a _lot,_ but it'll pass. We all had to go through it."

Her tears still seemed to be a torrent, but she was actively fighting to keep the noise down. "Who's _we_? Do you have Brandon?"

"Your boyfriend's next on the list, punk, don't you worry about him," Raphael replied, reverting to familiar terms to help her settle down.

"Some punk," she said sarcastically, fiercely wiping her eyes.

The turtle shook his head. "The emo girl is still in there somewhere, Jazz, and I've got a feeling she'll come busting back out of you."

"I have an energy-binder," she said suddenly. "The Overlords will catch me – they'll catch _you_!"

"Nah, it'll be okay, Jazz. We've got elohim who can take it off."

"Elohim?"

"Yeah…not all of them are so bad. You'll see. Things are looking up for you, Jazz."

"Well it's _about_ time."


	60. Two Down

Slave number 825 didn't have a good feeling about where his morning was going. His direct commander, Iyas, was too nervous when he pulled the man aside for instructions.

"We are going to do things differently today," the elohim said warningly. "You are coming out on the landing with me."

The bronze-haired man felt his breath hitch involuntarily. The "landing" was nothing more than a long narrow bridge that connected the two sides of the deepest aqueduct in their section. He balked at the very thought of the rushing water.

"Why do we have to go _there_?"

"You are going to have to trust me," Iyas replied. "Have I ever tried to harm you?"

The slave scowled. "Only when Yasir was involved."

"Do you realize I had no choice in the matter?" the elohim returned. "The Doctor could tell I was making concessions for you. If the Overlords were to realize how much I have done to protect you, we would _both_ be in trouble."

"What's with the landing? What are we doing there?"

"Do not ask me questions about it right now. You are going to be all right, 825."

The man knew it didn't matter _how_ he felt about the situation. As much as he appreciated the sensitivity Iyas had shown in response to his strange fears, he didn't expect it to last forever. _It can't stay quiet. The other men in my unit already see the favors too. They know I'm being treated differently._

Familiar nerves leaped up in his stomach while they crossed through a tunnel, and he heard the sound of water picking up. _Why do I feel this way? Why does it have to be so hard? None of the others seem to be afraid of water. Some of them can barely swim, but they're still getting their jobs done. _He broke into an instant cold sweat and tensed up when Iyas took him by the arm.

"I need you to stay calm," the elohim said quietly. "You cannot panic the way you have before. Your very life may depend on how you respond to this."

"Why is it so important?" he whispered. "Why aren't you telling me anything?"

"Everyone has to take a turn on the landing, and today is yours," Iyas said more loudly, jerking him roughly by the shoulder.

The human had a feeling the elohim was only showing off for the others within ear-shot, but it was disconcerting nonetheless. As Iyas guided him alongside the channel, the temptation to fight the elohim stirred inside him. He didn't trust Iyas completely, no matter what the alien had done for him. The creature was _still _his captor and he'd subjected him to some awful things in order to satisfy the Overlords above him. _When it comes down to it, Iyas is going to obey them. He has to._

The slave cast a look at swiftly moving water and exhaled deeply. _You're not going to drown, _he reminded himself. _The Overlords don't want you dead. Nothing bad is going to happen, so don't freak out. Don't freak out. _His heart skipped when Iyas' grip tightened, as though sensing the man wanted to bolt.

The walk to the landing was at least a quarter of a mile, but it went much faster than the man wanted it to. Iyas paused at the end of the bridge, staring for a moment at a couple of boats passing underneath it. He watched the elohim carefully, and couldn't help wondering what he was waiting for. _Why does he seem more nervous than me? This doesn't make any sense._

Iyas lingered a couple of seconds longer before setting foot on the bridge. "Come, 825. We need to get this over with."

The human put one foot in front of the other, his legs trembling as he left solid ground. Now he found himself wishing Iyas _would_ hold onto him stronger. _Don't look down. Occupy your mind with something else._ "So…what are we going to work on?" he ventured

"We need to wait for someone else, human. Help is on the way."

"What are they helping us with?"

"Trust me, and no more questions."

The man shut his mouth and kept his eyes parallel with the other side of the channel. They continued the slow trek over the landing in silence, and the slave started counting steps as another way to avoid the explosive emotions underneath the surface of his exterior.

They'd only made it about half-way over the bridge when Iyas paused again and turned around to face the west side of the aqueduct. 825 bit his tongue to prevent himself from speaking, but the longer they stood motionless, the harder it was to be quiet. It was easier to control his anxiety over the water when they were moving. Now that they were suspended over his most irrational fear without budging, panic began welling up in his mind.

"Watch with me, 825."

"Watch for _what_?" he snapped angrily.

"We are waiting for a special fire."

The man shook his head. "You're not making a bit of sense."

"You will understand shortly, and then you will not have to face this fear again, except by your choosing."

"What are you _talking _about?"

Iyas didn't reply, and his gaze fixed on the channel. "There." He raised one hand, indicating a small green flame that spouted from an approaching long boat.

"What's it for?"

Iyas looked over his shoulder at the east side of the aqueduct. "We have to wait until they are under the landing."

"_What are we waiting for_?" The man had lost patience.

"In a few moments, you have to go into the water."

"What?"

"Get ready, human."

"I don't understand what's going on!"

"That does not matter. You are going over."

"Iyas, don't do this—" He cut off when the elohim caught him by the arm, but this time he fought Iyas' grasp. Iyas tried to pull him closer to the edge, but the man locked his legs and used his free arm to deliver a defensive strike to his opponent's gut.

The elohim gasped but didn't release him. The slave tried to yank away from him again, but he wasn't expecting Iyas to lash out at his knees. The moment he was off balance, the elohim shoved him _hard_.

Time stood still as air rushed by him, and the man clawed helplessly for something to grab onto. When he struck the surface of the channel the water overwhelmed him in an instant, and in his frantic desperation he couldn't figure out which direction was up. He was immediately caught up by the current, lost to the power of a fear he didn't understand.

Hopelessness almost set in, when he felt something snag the back of his tunic. His remaining air bubbles shot from his mouth while he was forcibly pulled to the surface. The man gasped for oxygen between coughing violently as someone looped their arms around his chest. He glanced over his shoulder as his racing heart-beat steadied somewhat and caught a glimpse of Iyas.

"What…is wrong…with you?" he heaved.

"I am sorry, human. I knew you would not go along willingly, but the end will be worth it."

"Worth it _how_?"

"Hold on for a few more moments," he replied reassuringly, his eyes tracking to the right.

The man looked over too and saw a long boat approaching them.

"You must go with them," Iyas said.

"What do they want with me?"

"They will take you to safety."

"I don't _feel_ safe!"

"You have friends looking out for you, human. They will take you to them."

The man wasn't sure what to think, but he had a hard time believing any elohim's motive could be of good intention. He swallowed as the boat drifted toward them and felt his fear rising up yet again. When a couple of strong pairs of arms met him, however, he didn't fight them from drawing him over the side of the vessel.

He scanned the faces of the strangers and his breathing quickened. "Who are you?"

"You have to lie down flat, human," one of the elohim told him. "It is the only way to hide you."

"Why are you doing this?" he dared to ask.

"I know you have many questions, human, but if you could wait a few minutes they will be answered easier."

The man cringed as heavy material came over his head, blocking out what little light had _been_ visible.

"Do not move or make a sound," someone said.

He clenched his fists and tried to even out his breathing when he felt the speed of the boat picking up underneath him. The man listened could hear the elohim talking to each other, but he couldn't pick out Iyas' voice. He finally closed his eyes and prayed the journey would be quick.

The dark ride was proving to be one of the most unpleasant experiences in his remembrance, and with every passing mile he swore he was losing more air, suffocating under the protective covering. There was no encouragement or kindness from the strangers, and he heard only haste and anxiety in their tones. The elohim were speaking in their own tongue with each other, so that he couldn't even decipher what they were saying.

When fresh air wafted through his "shield" it was an immense relief, but one of the elohim prevented him from sitting up.

"Not yet – do not give us away," the alien hissed. "This is most vital, human. Stay _down_."

He had no choice _but_ to obey, feeling slightly threatened just by the brusque manner of the elohim. _I can't imagine what they want with me; I just hope it's not worse than where I was. Where's Iyas?_

Several more minutes passed before the boat lurched so unexpectedly that it jarred his neck. When someone yanked the material off of him, the man scowled into the face of the elohim. "Thanks for the warning," he said sarcastically.

"Up you get, human."

825 looked over the long boat in the full light of day, and saw no sign of his former commander. "Where's Iyas?"

"He did not come with us," another replied.

"You _left _him back there?"

"It was never the plan to bring him, human; he has another purpose. Come and get on your feet. We need to move."

"Where are we going?"

"You will find out shortly."

"No!" he said, doggedly refusing to rise. "I'm not going anywhere with you people until I get some answers!"

Rather than argue with him two of the muscular elohim hauled him up from the bottom of the boat and carried him directly to the shoreline.

"Let go of me!" he protested.

An angry curse from several feet away startled his "captors", and they both wheeled around to face the diminutive figure of a woman who was probably a foot and a half shorter than them. By the expression on her face, he never would have known the elohim were a threat.

"Put him _down_, you idiots!" she commanded. "How are you gonna treat someone like that when they don't have a clue what's going on?"

The man was surprised when they released him and staggered unsteadily on his feet.

"Are you all right?" Her voice immediately softened.

The woman took a step toward him and he held his ground, gazing back at her.

"Do you know me?" she asked.

He hesitated, and his heart started racing for yet _another _reason he couldn't understand. "I…I _should_, shouldn't I?"

"Well, I don't exactly look like myself," she allowed. "But I bet you could still remember me, Brandon."

His forehead creased. "Is that supposed to be my name?"

She started moving again. "It _is_ your name. I know all kinds of things about you."

He stared down at the strange young woman practically invading his personal space, and was suddenly captured by grey irises that resonated in his mind like the explosion of a firework. An unbidden name was given along with it. "_Jazz_," he said quietly.

Her face lit up and a split-second later her arms were around his neck. She kissed him deeply and he was at once assailed by both exhilaration and agony, tempted to cry for two very different reasons.

Brandon's legs felt like they'd turned into jelly and his knees buckled before he even had a chance to react. Broad arms unexpectedly came around his back, but their touch was comforting and strong instead of controlling.

"It's okay, Bran. You'll be all right."

Brandon jerked around to see the red-masked turtle and started to laugh, but it turned into a gasp of pain. "Ah…my head. Raph, where the heck have you _been_?" It wasn't the nicest greeting, but it was the best he could come up with under the circumstances.

His old friend shook his head. "Sorry, Man. I was lost for a while there too."

Brandon fought to cancel out the overwhelming pain in his skull so he could focus on his friends. "Jazz? Where did you go?"

Her pressure on his hand increased. "I'm right here, babe. I'm not ever gonna let you go."

Real tears were finally released as he locked eyes with the woman he loved. "I might need that hand again someday."

"That's not my problem," she replied impishly.


	61. Need to Know

Mike's grin was irrepressible as he kicked back in their room, enjoying the sight of Jazz leaning against Brandon and the arm he had around her shoulder. Roughly 35 hours had passed since Donny's modified divider had located their signals, and the retrieval of their friends made the orange-masked turtle feel like bursting.

"I always knew you two kinda had a thing for each other." Raphael smirked at the pair.

Jazz gave him a withering look. "Please, turtle. We passed the 'thing' stage a long time ago."

"Maybe, but then you forgot about each other. Now it's like you get to start over," Mike teased.

The red-masked turtle laughed. "I'll be interested to see if you let each other out of your sight."

"No more than you would _my_ sister." Brandon shook his head. "My God. Kat, Karina, Doc…Nobody has a clue where we are."

Leonardo grimaced. "No, but we're still happy to see _you_ guys. I feel better just knowing you're all right."

Jazz sighed with a shudder. "We're together, but I don't know about being all right. Are we stuck here or what? Donny, you're gonna have to get to work on building a ship or something, 'cause I'm _not_ fittin' to stay on this godforsaken planet. I'd help you myself, but it's not my field of expertise."

Mike couldn't help chuckling. Jazz was the first of their human allies who was capable of connecting with Donatello over technology, being somewhat of a computer genius herself.

"The elohim are going to assist us with that detail…at least…they said they would," Don stumbled. "But they promised to help us get the rest of you back too, and they've already delivered on that end."

"What's _with_ these aliens?" Brandon asked flatly. "Even the ones who helped weren't exactly friendly. I thought they were going to do something to me."

"Well…I can't speak for all of the elohim, Brandon," Leonardo started slowly. "But they put themselves in harm's way to get you out. I think they _meant_ well, even if they weren't nice about it."

"I didn't appreciate their methods, but…Iyas did manage to get me rescued."

"Iyas?" Raphael said questioningly.

"My warden."

Mike made a face. "Yeah, I had one of those too. Awful, manipulative witch."

"Iyas was actually pretty nice to me," Bran said quietly. "Working underground so closely with the water freaked me out, and I couldn't come up with an excuse for it. Somehow…I think not knowing the _reason_ for the panic made it stronger."

Brandon looked down and his eyes didn't seem to focus on anything. "It's amazing how powerful the grip of Post Traumatic Stress is. Despite not remembering any of the details…the terror was still a part of me. It's not an encouraging feeling."

Donatello shifted forward in his chair. "Healing is a process, Brandon. You've been told a hundred times that PTSD isn't something you just 'get over'. But that doesn't mean it can't get better, or that it has to control your life."

Brandon shook his head again, as though banishing unwanted thoughts. "Anyway. Iyas kept me out of the water for the most part, and he helped set things up for me to get out. So if _some_ of these elohim can be trusted, how are we supposed to tell the difference?"

"Most of them are on the Overlords' side," Leo explained. "Trusting anyone has been difficult, especially in light of recent events. Our elohim allies proved themselves significantly before we followed them here."

"Why don't you tell us exactly what we need to know about the good guys and the bad guys?" Jazz requested.

"It's a little harder than that." Raphael snorted. "You've got your run-of-the-mill bad guys, and the bad guys who only care about themselves and will stab you in the back if they need to. Then you've got your good guys who are supposedly trying to do the right thing even if they don't know how, and a whole bunch of innocent humans who are bearing the brunt of all the work. Everyone we've met falls under one of those categories."

"There _would_ have to be more than one type of bad guy," Brandon muttered. "I feel like we're so far behind on everything. What happened to _you_, Leo?"

The blue-masked turtle exhaled and lightly fingered his freshly bandaged shoulder. "I was attacked by some people we thought we could trust."

Brandon's eyebrows rose. "Elohim? Are we really safe around any of them?"

"Not them – it was Ruairi." Raphael growled.

Jazz's forehead creased. "What are Ruairi?"

"The lowest life-form that exists, that's who." The red-masked turtle fumed.

"They acted like they were our friends, for a while," Mike spoke up. "We thought they were on our side, until they tried to kill Leo and abandoned the rest of us in the wilderness."

Brandon rapidly withdrew his arm from Jazz and stood up. "They tried to _kill_ you? Who are these guys, Leo?"

"The Ruairi are another race of aliens who have been taken advantage of by the Overlords. They're desperate to acquire some type of cure that only the elohim can provide for them," Leo answered.

"What does that have to do with killing you?" Jazz demanded.

"The Overlords won't help him, so they've been staging raids in the hopes of getting closer to the technology they need to save their race." Leonardo paused. "They were friendly with us, inasmuch as it served their purpose. When they had what they wanted, they decided it was time to cut us loose. They probably wouldn't have hurt me if I hadn't gotten in their way. Killing me wasn't their original intention, but they absolutely could have. It was Don and the elohims' medicine that got me through it."

"I really didn't have much to do with it," Don said morosely. "I had no clue how to fight their neurotoxin."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Jazz sounded exasperated already.

Donny exhaled. "The Ruairi have a unique physiology all their own. They can produce a nasty neurotoxin which they deliver through their talons."

"Isn't _that_ lovely," Jazz said sarcastically. "I'm voting we go home now." After a beat she exchanged a stricken look with Donatello. "After we get Jenna, that is."

"We will," Don assured her.

Leo cleared his throat. "There _is _another problem though."

Raphael gave him a sharp look. "Are you really gonna do this _now_, Fearless?"

"They deserve to know the whole truth," Mike added supportively.

Brandon warily glanced between the turtles. "What are we still missing?"

"The current predicament is a lot bigger than our situation," Leonardo continued.

"Bigger how?" Jazz crossed her arms. "I thought you said they could get us home."

"You _can_ go home, and you will. We're not coming with you immediately," Leonardo admitted.

Brandon's gaze narrowed. "You wanna run that by me again?"

"Bran, sit back down." The blue-masked turtle pointed to his seat. "The truth is the Overlords have been studying the Earth for hundreds of years, in addition to stealing its people. Their plans have been in place for a long time, and our world is their ultimate goal."

"They want our planet," the man said flatly.

Leo nodded.

"What about all the people? When is this supposed to happen?" Jazz's voice soared.

Leonardo shook his head. "No one can say for sure, Jazz. It probably won't be for a while, because they want to finish using the resources on Zuhur. But whether it happens tomorrow or a hundred years from now, billions of people would be effected. The outcome is nothing I want to think about, but I have to. I know too much."

"What about the _people_?" Jazz repeated. "What would they do with them?"

Donatello raised his hand. "Our allies are fairly certain that most of the population would be killed through a controlled pandemic. They wouldn't get rid of all of them, though, because they need them for labor."

Brandon's arm circled Jazz's waist protectively. "So what now? What are we supposed to do about this, Leo?"

The oldest turtle wouldn't look him in the eye. "I don't know, but we can't leave without doing _something_."

"You wanna put us on some shuttle, and leave you guys behind to fight this out?" Jazz cocked her head. "You turtles really _are_ loco."

"Jazz, there is a very strong probability we won't be going home," Leonardo said bluntly. "That doesn't mean you and Brandon shouldn't."

The woman made a scoffing sound. "Is the prospect of living life without you guys supposed to make me more eager run? Because it doesn't. What do _you_ say, Brandon?"

The man's golden-brown eyes flicked over all the turtles. "It sounds like nothing has changed. You guys are always trying to be the martyrs, and I for one don't intend to let you. We're _Watchmen_ remember? That moniker includes the whole team, not just you four."

"You have to admit this situation is more extreme than anything we've had to deal with in the past," Leo argued.

"Maybe by a hair." Jazz snorted. "But craziness is always the name of the game where your battles are concerned. It _figures_ you guys would take this on yourselves."

The purple-masked turtle sighed heavily. "Jazz, we have _nothing_ going for us. We don't know the people, the land, the leadership...It's insanity, but what choice do we _have_?"

"You're not getting rid of us that easily," Brandon insisted. "Like we could just go home and forget about you? No. The last time I checked, we were still a family, and families don't do that. At least, not ours."

Jazz nodded. "Whatever that means, we'll handle it. But you don't get to make the decision for us. You didn't ask to come here any more than we did…and we're not leaving without you."

The weight of silence in the room was heavy, and Brandon appeared to be the most bothered by it.

"If these guys are our allies, would they mind us having a look around?" the man asked finally.

Raphael stood up. "Nah, but you shouldn't go alone. I'll come along and hold your other hand if Jazz will let me."

"I wanna go too." Mike got to his feet and then glanced back at Donatello, who was seated by Leonardo. "Do you think you guys will need anything else?"

Don shook his head. "We ought to be good for now; don't you think, Leo?"

The blue-masked turtle waved at them to go. "We're fine. Don't disappear for ten hours, okay?"

"'Kay, Fearless, we'll just make it five," Raphael returned, leading the way out of the room.

Mike laughed when they found Ezra lingering outside in the hallway. "There's no waiting list to join the party, Ezra."

The Irishman smiled politely, nodding his head toward the man and woman. "I didn't want to intrude too quickly."

"These are our friends, Brandon and Jazz," Raphael introduced. "Guys, this is Ezra. He was the first joker I met on this planet; we were slaves together."

Brandon stifled a chuckle. "You met the angry, confused version of Raphael? God bless you for surviving, Sir."

"I wasn't _that_ bad," Raphael protested.

Ezra laughed. "You were pretty rough around the edges, turtle."

"Man, that's me _every _day. Where have you been hanging out, Ezra? I feel like I ain't seen you since we got to Zokcimel."

"I'm sorry, Raphael; I wasn't trying to distance myself. I only thought you and your brothers needed time to come to grips with everything."

"Well, you can quit hiding. We're all pretty easy-going once you get to know us."

"Unless you tick them off," Brandon offered.

"_You're_ one to talk," Raphael challenged.

Ezra glanced between Raphael and Brandon, clearly unsure of the dialogue.

"Don't worry about them, Ezra; I'll build a ring for them to fight it out," Mike said lightly.

The Irishman smiled. "I wager it would prove more interesting to watch than one of those ridiculous Matches."

"I'm sure Donny would agree." The orange-masked turtle cast Jazz a look and couldn't help shaking his head. "I can't get over seeing you like this. You look so different."

Jazz's eyes darkened. "Somebody had better have some scissors around here, that's all I'm gonna say."

"Scissors?" Ezra echoed. "For what?"

The young woman exhaled angrily. "Those Overlords done messed me up."

The older man looked puzzled. "I don't understand."

Raphael laughed. "You woulda had to see her _before_, Ezra."

"Nobody touches my hair," she grumbled. "I barely recovered from _your_ prank, Raph."

"Jazz, I've told you a hundred times it was an _accident_. When are you gonna let it go?"

"So you say."

"You still don't believe me?"

"It was a convenient mistake."

"I was going after Heff, not you!"

"But _I_ was the one who ended up with orange hair."

"It washed out. Eventually."

"I think you need a shot of your own medicine," she retorted.

Ezra scratched his head. "You lead some interesting lives, don't you?"

"Everything's more interesting where pranks are involved." Mike grinned.

Brandon smiled fondly. "There _have_ been some pretty epic tricks between these guys."

Jazz folded her arms. "It'd be funnier to see all four of them go down. _That_ would be epic."

Mike made eye contact with Raphael, and both turtles busted out laughing.

"Read my lips, Jazz – Never. Gonna. Happen," Raphael told her. "Getting one or two of us at a time is hard enough, but all four? We're ninja. Give us some credit."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, Jazz, you should start off with an easier goal…like just getting Raphy back for your hair."

"You guys don't think anyone could catch you off guard?"

Raphael shook his head. "We're better than that, Jazz. You're in over your head."

"Okay, Raph," she said sweetly.

Mike caught his breath inwardly. _Oh, it's so not over. Raph had better shut his mouth before he gets himself into _real _trouble._


	62. Out in the Open

Leonardo didn't _intend_ to be up front about the dire circumstances with Brandon and Jazz, but when it had come to it, the turtle couldn't see a point in hiding the situation. _I think its better from here on out if everyone knows what we're up against._

He cast a glance at Donatello, who was still seated across from him. The purple-masked turtle hadn't say anything since the others eft the room and Leo couldn't help wondering what he was thinking about.

"Don? What's going on?"

"I don't know what our next step should be," he replied. "I guess we need another meeting with the elohim."

"What's going on with _you_?" Leo clarified.

His brother laughed mirthlessly. "Bro, there are way too many things on my mind to focus on just one."

Leonardo gave him a sympathetic look, but he wasn't going to let him off the hook. "Why don't you try?"

"I'm not really in the mood."

"I don't blame you, but…I feel like we haven't talked, Don."

"What do you mean? It's not like I've been ignoring you, Leo."

"I'm not accusing you of that."

"Then what _are_ you saying?"

"Hear me out for a minute, okay? We were separated for several weeks, and we all went through different things. I know where you ended up, and you've talked about Kamryn…but you never got into detail with anything else."

"What is there for me to say?"

"You're avoiding it," Leo said with certainty. "Why are the Matches so hard for you to talk about?"

"You want me to _talk_ about why it's so hard for me to talk about?"

Leonardo chuckled, but then grew serious again. "I can tell that you're weighed down, and I know there are several reasons. But I think it's important for you to stay open with us, y'know? I don't want to force you to do anything you aren't ready for, but you also tend to internalize things and bury emotions instead of dealing with them."

Donatello stared at the wall without speaking for a few seconds. "I don't know what makes it this hard, Leo," he admitted. "It's definitely not the first time I've been forced to defend myself…but this felt different."

"It _was _different, Don. You've never been forced to fight for someone else's entertainment."

Donny rested his chin in one hand. "There was always the temptation in the back of my mind to try and prove something. I know I had the right to defend myself, but the truth is…sometimes, I was just _mad_. Angry that I was in the situation, and that the Overlords had so much power over me. A number of my 'victories' were driven by nothing except the determination that I wasn't going to let anyone break me.

"The only moment when I actually felt like _myself _was when I was in that Death Match with the Ruairi. It was the _one _time when it felt like I'd bested the Overlords. They set the stage, they made the rules, but in the end, they couldn't force me to kill anyone."

"Do you feel guilty, Don?"

His brother shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe part of me does, even though I know it sounds crazy. I didn't want to be there. I said it over and over again. So why do I feel this way?"

Leonardo shook his head. "You went through a lot, Bro. Not just the physical fighting, but the loss of your memory, being imprisoned…it sounds like they were trying to reduce to you to your primal instincts. I'm not surprised you feel guilty for getting angry, because that's the kind of person you are."

Donatello didn't respond.

"You gave them the opportunity to walk away, Don. You didn't attack any of them. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know that in my head, Leo, but I feel _off_…like part of me is still lost, buried down deep."

"You're missing Jenna too," Leo told him. "I'm sure it contributes to this."

"She could be dying," Donny said faintly. "The babies might already be gone. We're no closer to knowing how to get her back."

"We're not doing this alone, Bro."

"They completely bypassed her last time! _That_ was how much faith the elohim had in being able to save her!"

Donatello's sudden anger was surprising, but Leonardo took it in stride.

"They did the wrong thing, but Ghyath made us a promise, Don, and I believe him. When this whole process started, I think the elohim were only concerned with preserving _us_. But I believe they value other lives too;they just don't know how to make a dent in the need that exists."

The purple-masked turtle already seemed calmer, though his eyes were averted again. "I think I'm more scared than I've ever been."

"I'm afraid too, Don; we all are. I never pictured being put in a spot like this, especially because we _have_ a way to get home. It would be easy to go back and try to forget everything we've seen and heard. We could pretend like none of this happened, and hope than an attack wouldn't come in our lifetime.

"But I think it would always stay in the back of my mind, kind of like the Akiudo did. When we finished with the gang on Yonaguni, it should have been the end…but it wasn't. The threat wasn't neutralized, and while we went about our normal business, it started growing again. The danger developed and expanded until it literally could have impacted the entire Eastern seaboard. As bad as that was, _this_ is worse. Ignoring the Overlords would have a much more dire result."

Donny nodded. "I couldn't agree more…I just wish I knew what on earth we're supposed to do. Did Joshua give you any clues about this so-called prophecy?"

"Not yet, except to say that the 'chosen' term didn't originate with him. If we asked him, I bet he'd give us the whole thing."

"We should talk to him," Don said suddenly. "Let's get everything out in the open. Whether he's actually heard from God or not, we need to know what's expected from us."

"I agree," Leo replied. "Did you gather any impressions about him the other day?"

Donatello locked gazes with him. "He's hearing from _someone_, Leo. I only hope that 'someone' isn't going to get us all killed."

* * *

><p>"What's the deal with these guys?" Brandon asked. "Do the elohim think you're some kind of deity or something? Haven't we already been down this route?"<p>

Leonardo laughed when the man arched his eyebrows in Mike's direction.

"Huh uh, dude, I didn't have nothing to do with it!" Michelangelo protested.

Leo shook his head. "He's right, Bran. Whatever conclusion the elohim came to over us, they arrived there on their own."

"They don't believe you're miraculous though, do they?" Jazz looked doubtful.

"You've got the wrong idea," Donatello said swiftly. "They think we've been sent by God to help them."

"Help them do _what?_" Brandon demanded. "Is someone going to curb the insanity before it gets out of control?"

"We're working on that," Raphael retorted.

"This keeps getting weirder," Jazz muttered.

Leonardo shrugged. "I've tried to stop making assumptions about the elohim, because they've surprised me several times when I thought I had them figured out."

The young woman wrinkled her nose distastefully. "I already know more than I want to about them."

"Jazz, I don't have a clue what you went through, but they're not _all _bad," Leonardo assured her. "Some of them have helped us a great deal."

"Because they want _your_ help!" she cried. "Do you think they would have brought you here otherwise?"

Leonardo was silent for a long moment. "I've wondered the same thing, Jazz, but…I honestly think they're on the level."

"Besides, what else can we do?" Raphael huffed under his breath. "We're stuck. We can't accomplish anything all by ourselves. We gotta trust somebody, and these guys already helped us rescue Donny and Mike from Arcadia, saved Leo from that toxin, and helped us get _you_ guys back. The only thing Bahri asked us to do in return was hear them out. I can't say if they really think we can do the impossible."

"There's something about Joshua," Donatello said quietly. "We need to hear what _he_ has to say. You'll give him a chance, won't you?"

Jazz snorted. "You guys are the 'chosen ones.' I'm just the punk who got brought along for the ride."

Brandon ruffled her brown hair from behind. "At least you're still a punk on the inside."

She gave him an irritated look. "I'm not gonna live with this color much longer."

Leonardo smiled. "I'm sure the elohim know a few ways to change it up, but your particular shades might give them some trouble. It could make things worse."

"That's why you don't mess with someone to begin with." She frowned.

Mike laughed. "It sounds like you're madder about your hair than being abducted."

The glare she gave the orange-masked turtle made Leonardo stifle the chuckle that nearly erupted.

A knock at the door drew Leo's attention and he immediately sat up straighter. Mike bounded to his feet to open it, and then ushered Joshua and Kenric into the room. The blue-masked turtle was surprised to see the human carrying a steaming kettle. He'd never seen the elohim heat a beverage before.

"Good evening, friends." Joshua turned to include the entire room. "I thought you might appreciate something hot, given your physiology."

"What is it?" Leo asked.

"Nothing but water that has been steeped with the finely ground root of a castillus plant. It is one of the few crops that can survive the heat of the wilderness," Joshua told him. "It may prove a little bitter at first, but it's followed by a depth of flavor that reminds me of home."

"Caffeine?" Donatello asked hopefully.

Joshua shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

Mike cocked his head. "Do you remember Earth then?"

"I do," the man affirmed. "Would anyone care to have some?"

"I would," Leonardo volunteered. Not surprisingly, he was the only immediate taker.

Kenric began stoking a larger fire across the room as Joshua took a seat inside the circle.

Leonardo took a sip from his flask and immediately got the bitter note Joshua had warned him about. With another small drink, the richness behind the root started taking over. "That's good," he commented, grateful to have something _other_ than the overly sweet drinks the elohim usually offered.

Joshua nodded with a smile. "I'm glad you like it. What can I do for you all tonight?"

Leo cleared his throat. "Well, the real reason we asked you to come is that we need you to clue us in on this 'word' we've heard so much about."

Joshua reached for the satchel hanging over his shoulder. "I thought that might be the case." He retrieved a light grey roll of delicate material and smoothed it open. "It was during a time of songs and prayer that El spoke this, roughly seven years ago." He glanced around the group, as though seeking permission to continue.

"Please go ahead," Leonardo urged.

Joshua nodded once more and looked down at the material. "'My people, My very own, how long you have resided in shadows and hesitation. Have I not told you, have I not said that such fear doesn't come from Me? You are not meant to live in despair and dread, but to rise up in the new hope I have given you. You are not the same as you once were, lost in darkness and unknowing. Now you have the Light, and I expect you _not_ to simply contain it inside yourselves.

"'Have I not provided and supplied for everything you need? Why then do you still doubt My willingness to deliver you? Over and over again I have called for you to wake up and follow Me, yet you drag your feet. There is hope yet for this land, a future for your people, if you will heed my words.

"You will find new strength comes from the Earth, though it will take a form you don't expect. The mighty will come to you on the wings of your enemies, and that which was _intended_ for harm will help to lift up your hands. They are made of boldness and honor, and their loyalty does not fail.

"But you must _decide_ to stand with them and choose life or death. If you desire to see hope once more invade this barren land, you too must learn courage and be unwilling to compromise. If you fail, it will not be because you couldn't do these things – but because you chose to give up.'"

Leonardo was tempted to rub his arms at the sensation of goose bumps, but refrained from moving. "I don't know what to think of this. It gives me a strange feeling."

Joshua rolled the paper back up slowly. "El is the one who chooses one individual or another. Perhaps He has set you apart for this purpose – perhaps not. I will ask Him to reveal His will concerning the matter."

"Will he call you up on the phone?" Brandon murmured.

Leonardo was horrified, even though he knew his friend wasn't trying to be sarcastic.

"El speaks to me in other ways," Joshua replied, completely unruffled. "He sees you too, Brandon."

The bronze-haired man gazed back at him. "What does he see?"

"El has compassion for you. It seems…you were like a lone sheep, torn apart by the ravages of wild animals. Though you were delivered from them, it appears there are still claws buried in your back; some beast that doesn't intend to ever let you go. There is hope. There is healing, friend."

Brandon didn't have a response to that.

"I sense I have given you enough to think about for one evening," Joshua said, looking around the group as he rose to his feet. "I will ask El to bring clarity to all these things, and I encourage you to do so as well."

Leonardo got up from his chair. "We will. I do have more questions, but you're right. I think we should digest this part first." He glanced around the room at the blank faces of his brothers. "We'll talk more tomorrow."

The blue-masked turtle sighed inwardly. _If this _is_ God speaking about us, I sure hope he knows what he's doing._


	63. Safe

Jazz shivered, stamping her foot as though it would generate more heat. She wasn't supposed to be here; she'd told Brandon she would wait for him back at the room. _But I also need the chance to talk to him _alone_. How am I supposed to do that with everyone else around?_

The man had taken longer "refreshing" as the elohim called it than Jazz expected, but she wasn't surprised either. _Who knows how long it's been since he had access to a decent shower? I don't know anything about his old living conditions. _

Truth be told, she felt a little guilty. _I was a slave too, but I was probably more comfortable in the house than the rest of them were. Not that I didn't have to pay the price for it. _She shuddered again, but this time it wasn't because she was cold.

"Jazz?"

She jumped. Brandon had startled her, though she'd been watching for him the entire time.

"Were you waiting for me?" he asked.

Jazz thought about it for a moment. "Nope. I was supposed to meet some dashing elohim out here who wanted to take me for a ride in his star cruiser, but he never showed."

"Imagine that. I guess you'll have to make do with me," Brandon offered with a wry smile.

She rested a hand against her hip as she took in the sight of him. "I guess so, if I really have to."

Jazz stretched to lace her arms around his neck and he leaned down to her level to make it easier to reach. The unfamiliar scent of the fresh tunic he'd donned surrounded her, but it wasn't objectionable. When they kissed the surge of emotions was so strong it brought tears to the young woman's eyes.

Jazz fingered a strand of Brandon's damp hair while she tried to get a handle on herself, but he'd already noticed her restraint.

"What? What is it, Jazz?"

"It…" she started, and then wasn't certain how to word things properly. "These last couple of months lasted a lot longer than anything I've been through, and that's saying a lot."

"Are you trying to say that you missed me?" he asked impishly.

"I missed _something,_ even if I didn't know what it was. Amidst all of the life that went on in the house, I felt as empty and dry as the wilderness outside. Still...it had to be better than what you were dealing with."

Brandon's face clouded over slightly. "I lived in fear of the environment I worked in every day. Most people have rational reasons for being afraid of something, but I didn't even have _that_ on my side."

Jazz slipped her hand through one of his. "The Aqueducts and the homes of the Overlords are behind us, Brandon, thankfully. Did they hurt you down there?"

"Not really, no. I was forced to do some things that freaked me out, but my warden looked out for me. He gave me tasks to would keep me out of the water and the darkest places. In reality, I was pretty lucky."

"Yeah, we all are," she said sarcastically. "That must be how we ended up here."

Brandon gazed down at her seriously. "Jazz…did they…did anyone hurt _you_?"

She immediately sensed what the man was _trying_ to ask her. "Some," she said softly. "Most of it wasn't…it didn't go _all_ the way. Prugh, the Overlord, he like to touch me, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. His lame oldest son tried to get in on the act too – Raph could tell you. He walked in on the kid trying to persuade me to be his guinea pig."

There was tension in Brandon's grip as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Just the thought of them putting a _hand_ on you makes me want to go berserk."

"Save it for the _real_ fight, Bran. I guess there's going to be one."

The man sighed. "Who can say what we'll end up doing? I'd say to blow them all sky high, but there are a ton of innocent people to think about too. A doomsday event would affect everyone."

"Who knows if the elohim _have_ that kind of weapon?" she wondered. "We may have some things in common with their race, but our cultures are completely different. They may not have any use for nuclear technology."

Brandon shook his head. "It seems like the bad guys always find some use for the worst weapons they can imagine."

"Well _I'm_ not digging through any more thermonuclear weapons, that's for darn sure," Jazz said crossly.

Brandon snorted. "Just make it Donny's problem."

"You can count on that." Jazz trembled slightly when another chill ran down her spine.

"Are you cold?"

"Yeah, but I'll be okay. Maybe we could start walking and get my blood flowing again."

He rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "We need to find you some warmer clothes. Maybe you shouldn't be out running around in the tunnels."

"I'll be all right, Brandon. I just wanted to make sure _you_ were," she said meaningfully.

The man looked puzzled for a few seconds. "Oh…you mean because of Joshua?"

She nodded. "He didn't upset you, did he?"

The man shook his head. "No, nothing like that; but I'm not sure what the point was. I'll have to live with PTSD for the rest of my life. Why go on about hope and healing?"

"Bran, there _is _healing going on," Jazz insisted. "You're not the same guy you were when we first met."

"I know that, Jazz, and that things can still get better. I'm never going to be _normal_ though – it's beyond my reach."

"None of us are normal, Brandon; this whole group is loco. How many times have I said it?" she asked, hoping she could lighten him up. Jazz was relieved to see his faint smile.

"I'm still in good company I guess. This hair almost makes _you_ pass for normal," he joked.

"Do you like it better this way?"

"You mean the color?"

"And the makeup. I mean, you've seen me at both ends of the spectrum now. Do you like this better?"

Brandon appeared to be weighing his response carefully. "I think you're beautiful either way. When it comes down to it, those aren't the things that define you. I _did_ manage to recognize you after all."

"Barely." She laughed.

"But I did," he pointed out. "Of course you can work the 'normal' look, but anyone can do that. Not everyone could pull off your emo vibe half as well."

"Is that a vote for my creative side to come back out and play?"

Brandon smiled helplessly. "I have to admit you've got me hooked."

She gave him a coy smile. "I know the right lures to use on you." Brandon tugged her arm to slow down her stride. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just not in a hurry to get anywhere."

Jazz allowed the man to gather her closer, accepting the warmth of his arms. Their surroundings became irrelevant, even if she could have wished for something more comfortable. As she raised her lips to meet his, the dark backdrop of the catacombs slipped further from her mind.

The dull ache of emptiness that had caused her to feel like the walking dead gave way to the overwhelming relief of finding herself and the ones she loved, but a heaviness still clung to her spirit. Jazz was on the verge of tears again before she realized what was happening. She tried to stifle it, but wasn't able to pull it off.

Brandon opened his eyes to look at her and couldn't hide his surprise. "Jazz-?"

"Don't," she said. "Just don't let me go."

"I never will," he said firmly.

Jazz was rarely given to tears, and now she'd been reduced to an emotional wreck two days in a row. Feebleness and frailty were things she couldn't afford to display in the past, before joining the "family", so to speak. A tough yet apathetic persona had been her only hope for standing on her own two feet, and it meant _never_ showing weakness outwardly.

"Jazz," Brandon whispered in her ear. "It's okay."

"I'm an idiot," she returned fiercely.

"No you're not. Would you look at me?"

She lifted her head from his shoulder long enough to look him in the eye. "I'm the only one falling apart, Brandon."

"You're wrong. We're _all_ feeling it; everyone is overwhelmed by the enormity of this."

Jazz took a great breath of air. "I just wanna go home," she admitted. "I want this whole nightmare to be over. I want to feel safe, and for us to be together like…like it was before. And it never will be."

"You don't know that."

"Oh, _c'mon_, Bran. The guys are stuck, and we're stuck. A lot of lives are hanging in the balance, but all I can think about right now is the fact that we're not getting out of this."

"Jazz…I want you to go. If we can get Jenna out too—"

"Stop, stop right there. No one's playing the martyr – I thought we already established that."

Brandon exhaled deeply and his grip became almost crushing. "But I want you to be _safe_."

"Ease up a little before you squash me," she requested.

He jerked in surprise, as if he didn't realize the amount of pressure he'd been applying. "Sorry."

She shook her head. "You ought to know your own strength by now."

"Being around you makes me forget," he said sheepishly.

Jazz punched his muscular shoulder, and it felt like striking a mountain. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe not to you," he said. "But that's because you don't know the power you hold in _your_ hand. There are times when you make me feel weak enough to be reduced to ashes."

"I _don't_ understand."

"All the physical strength in the world doesn't amount to anything when you're in love with someone, Jazz. You know what I mean, don't you? You get vulnerable with somebody else, and then they've got the ability to either build you up or annihilate you with a single look."

Brandon hesitated and then continued. "You know there was a time in my life when _I_ shunned any sign of what I perceived to be weakness. I thought I was a stronger person for it, but I was only fooling myself. Then I was almost destroyed by the Akiudo, and all that pain broke the surface. There was no hiding _anything_, no matter how hard I tried."

He was silent for a long moment. "I don't know where it was written that needing someone else means you're weak. If anything, two people are _always_ going to be stronger than one."

"Uh huh," she said evenly. "So what you're saying is, I have the power to whip you?"

"In a manner of speaking, you can take me down faster than any of the guys."

"I could enjoy having that much power."

He chuckled. "I suppose I don't have any effect on _you_ whatsoever."

"I'm having more fun listening to you talk about me."

Brandon laughed stronger. "Should have seen that one coming."

Jazz gazed up at him for a couple of seconds and reached to trace his jaw-line with two fingers. "I wouldn't say you have _no_ effect on me."

Brandon leaned his forehead against hers and came within a hairsbreadth of kissing her again. Jazz almost forgot to breathe as he hesitated and swallowed while she tried to prevent herself from smiling.

"You could knock me over with a feather," she told him.

"That's all I wanted to hear."

"Then quit teasing me, punk."

Rather than drawing closer, Brandon pulled away. Jazz started to frown, and then realized the man was looking at something over her shoulder.

"Can we help you?" Brandon asked.

Jazz glanced backward to see an abashed-looking elohim.

"I…well, we thought…that is, I wanted to make sure you did not get lost," Kenric stammered.

Brandon shook his head. "Nope. We're doing just fine. How's _your_ night?"

"Me? It's…I am all right." Kenric backed up further. "I trust you know your way back then."

"We do," Jazz assured him, laying a hand on Brandon's shoulder demurely. She secretly enjoyed how flustered the elohim become by seeing them together.

"Excuse me, humans." Kenric turned and quickly went the opposite direction.

"That was easy," Jazz murmured. "Now we know how to get rid of them."

"Any time you want to use me to show off, I'm game, Jazz."

"I thought you might be."

"The guys might be wondering where we are too though."

"I knew that was coming." She sighed, and pulled on his hand to start walking again.

Brandon stayed slightly behind her until she looked back once more.

"Why does it feel like you're checking me out?" she asked.

"I'm allowed to do that, aren't I?"

Jazz shook her head. "You're such a guy."

"It's a compliment."

She snorted. "Are you sure you're not marking your territory?"

"I'm just enjoying the view."

Jazz drew him up to her side. "I'd rather freak out a few more elohim on the way back. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Sure, Jazz, we can take a couple more laps." Brandon impulsively kissed her hand he was clasping. "I'm up for anything as long as I'm with you."


	64. Taij Kliaa

***The song "I can hear Your Voice" belongs to Michael W. Smith.**

* * *

><p>Raphael <em>felt<em> how early it was when he woke up, though he couldn't tell the actual time. He wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but for some reason he was wide awake. The red-masked turtle listened to the others' even breathing, and hoped he might able to get some more rest too.

Just as he closed his eyes he heard a grunt of effort across from him, and turned his head to see Leonardo sitting up on the side of his bed. "What are y' doing, Fearless? You ain't tired?"

Leo shook his head. "I don't think I can sleep any more. I need to get out of here, maybe find somebody in charge to talk to."

Raphael stretched as he rose. "Are you feeling up to walking around?"

"Yeah I am, even if Don would rather hold me down for a couple more days. Are you coming with me?"

"Got to. Donny would kill you for going without an escort." He smirked.

"Do you realize how weird that sounds?"

"Would you rather me say I'm babysitting?"

The blue-masked turtle scowled at him while he gingerly tested weight on his limbs. "I'm okay," he said after a moment. "I'm feeling fine."

Raphael watched him like a hawk as his brother went in a semi-circle, but was satisfied that Leonardo wasn't lying to him. "Where do you wanna go?"

"I don't know, Raph; _you'd _probably know better than me. I haven't even had the grand tour. Who's running this place?"

The red-masked turtle shrugged. "Beats me. The elohim ain't mentioned any particular leader. Kenric's been dealing with us for the most part, but he don't act like he's in charge of everything. That Joshua guy handles the spiritual stuff for them, but other than that, I haven't heard of nobody."

"Well, their organization must have _some_ sort of head. Want to start with Kenric and work our way up from there?"

"Yeah, but let's leave a note or something so the guys don't think we up and disappeared on 'em."

Leonardo bent over a small table in between two of the chairs and scrawled something on a piece of scrap material Donatello hadn't put to use yet. They silently left the room and entered the main tunnel of the catacombs.

"Kenric's staying close by in case we need him," Raphael told him, leading the way toward the room the elohim occupied.

It occurred to him that the alien might not be awake yet, but it was a little late to turn back. Raphael only hesitated for an instant outside the elohim's door before knocking firmly. Less than thirty seconds passed before the door opened in response. The red-masked turtle did a double-take when he saw the silver sash that Kenric had donned, as though he was already on his way out.

"Is everything all right?" the elohim asked.

"Uh…yeah. You going somewhere? What's with the outfit?"

"There is a service starting in a few minutes," Kenric replied.

"A service?" Leonardo repeated. "What does that entail?"

"It is for prayer mostly. I considered telling you about it last night, but I had yet to see any of you awake this early," he explained.

Leonardo looked where his watch was _supposed_ to be on instinct. "What time is it?"

"There are about two more hours until sunrise."

"I couldn't sleep," the blue-masked turtle said wistfully. "I don't know if it's because there are too many questions and uncertainties running through my mind, or if it relates to something else."

"Would you like to come with me?" Kenric asked, on what sounded like a whim.

The two turtles made eye contact.

"Um…well…I guess we could do that," Leo agreed before Raphael could say anything.

The red-masked turtle wasn't sure how he felt about tagging along with the elohim, but he wasn't going to argue with his brother in front of Kenric. "You sure it's okay for us to come to this thing?"

"Oh, certainly," Kenric said at once. "El does not turn anyone away."

Raphael felt his stomach lurch when he fell into step behind the elohim. "So what are we walking into, really?"

"There is nothing to fear, Raphael, I promise you."

"I ain't _afraid_," he said defensively.

"I understand that some aspects of religion can seem mystical or strange from an outside perspective," Kenric told him. "I have been on the outside too. I know what it is like to meet people who claim to hear from El for the first time.

"There is nothing ceremonial about what we are doing today. This is only a time set aside for seeking El together, which can involve both singing and prayer."

"Who goes to these things?" Leo wondered.

"Whoever wishes. There could be anywhere between 50-100 in prayer this morning."

Raphael shot his brother another look, and Leonardo shrugged helplessly.

"We need to get to the heart of these people, and this might be the best way to do it," Leo remarked.

Kenric nodded. "It is time you met some of the population of Zokcimel. If you _are_ the chosen, it will affect them all."

"Would we be here right now if you didn't think we were?" Raphael ventured.

"If we knew you needed help and felt that we could trust you, we would not hesitate to assist you. The _Nalikjan _are not exclusive in nature, but we still have to be extremely careful."

"The _what_?" Raphael shook his head at the difficult word.

"Nalikjan. It literally means 'reclaimed' in our tongue. The title signifies the mercy El has shown us, even though our race turned its back on Him. Still El desired and pursued us, demonstrating how great His love is. His will is not to destroy anyone, but to preserve life. The Overlords have hardened their hearts to El because they would rather be exalted for their own wisdom and superiority. They would rather be seen as gods than be led by One."

As Kenric spoke he continued leading them into a more brightly lit section of the tunnel. There was a moment where Raphael was sure he could hear the soft sound of music, and he immediately strained to listen more closely.

Ahead of them was a small grouping of figures, and when they got closer, Raphael realized they were human. Three women smiled graciously at their approach, and didn't seem to be the least bit deterred by the turtles' appearance.

A young red-haired woman placed a hand over her heart as she bowed her head toward Kenric. "_Neh di Taij-Kliaa pahi xi jehce_." (May the Light-Bringer draw you near.)

The elohim performed a bow of his own. "These are my friends, Leonardo and Raphael."

The woman met them with a touch of shyness but no real fear. "I'm Rachel. Thank you for joining us."

"Yeah, sure," Raphael said automatically. The encounter felt casual, as if the woman had been meeting five-foot tall talking turtles for her entire life. _She's gotta be used to aliens by now, just like Ezra was when he met me. It's still a weird feeling to have someone think it's no big deal._

Kenric showed them into the nearby room, and Raphael's gaze was instantly drawn upward to gaze at the open expanse of the catacombs that disappeared into inky-blackness. The turtle couldn't imagine how high the ceiling was.

Only then did he glance across the room at rows of empty narrow benches. Of the figures already gathered in the room, no one was sitting; some were huddled in clusters of two or three, while others were pacing or standing alone in one place. Raphael heard the soft murmur of several voices, but he couldn't tell what any of them were saying.

Near the front of the room were the three individuals responsible for the music he'd been hearing. One of the instruments reminded him of a flute at first glance, but the tone was much deeper than he would normally associate with it. The other two were some variation of a stringed instrument that in the torchlight.

Kenric cleared his throat softly. "Be at ease, terrapins, and make yourselves comfortable."

"Easy for him to say," Raphael muttered.

"Don't let us hold you up, Kenric," Leonardo said. "I think we'll take a few minutes to observe."

The elohim nodded, giving them one last backward glance before slipping away to join a group on the right side of the room.

"Does this seem weird to you, Leo?" Raphael whispered. "Are they all doing their own thing here?"

"I don't know. Let's wait and see what they do, okay?"

The turtles took a few of steps forward to the bench in the last row and sat down to take everything in. For a couple of minutes nothing faltered in the scene before them. Raphael went back to watching the musicians, as they continued setting a mellow backdrop for the room.

Raphael was so focused on _them_ that he almost missed the red-haired Rachel traveling up through the middle of the room, between the rows of benches. He watched curiously when the young woman took a seat with the instrumentalists, and their music began building like they were taking some cue from her. A real melody emerged for the first time as the song stepped out of the background.

"_I'm in the river that flows from Your throne_

_Water of Life, water of Life._

_It covers me and I breathe again_

_Your love is breath to my soul."_

His brow furrowed as Rachel began to sing, and her voice filled up the cavernous space. Meanwhile the other sounds in the room were settling down, and the rest of the figures converged together toward the front.

"_I can hear Your voice as You sing over me._

_It's Your song of hope, breathing life into me._

_I can feel Your touch as I come close to You_

_And it heals my heart; You restore and renew."_

Her voice soared and the musicians followed her lead. Raphael felt goose bumps rising in response to something that swept across the room like a breeze. The turtle shivered, but wasn't cold. Part of him wanted to get up and walk out; to do anything that would separate him from the odd feeling. Another part of him didn't dare to move, eager to find out what (if anything) was going to happen. The experience wasn't like anything he'd expected.

When Rachel stopped singing, the musicians didn't let the song die out. As instruments continued to play, voices began to emerge again. No one seemed to be saying the same thing, but the appeal felt like it came from the group as a whole. The turtle couldn't imagine what they were asking El for, but now they were working together.

A figure stepped out of the crowd, standing in front of the instrumentalists. After a moment Raphael recognized Joshua. _Well _that_ makes sense at least._

The South African man raised his arms in a gesture that made Raphael think he was trying to get attention, but then it became clear that the man wasn't focused on those surrounding him.

Raphael sensed a renewed wind across the surface of his skin again and glanced at his brother. "Do you feel that?" he asked, not bothering to elaborate.

"Yes." Leonardo sounded breathless, but he hadn't been exerting effort. "I've felt something like it a couple of times before, in Dayton, and then that awful night when Yukiko almost killed you. I felt it then, but not like this. This is…"

"What? What is it, Fearless?"

"Shh," Leo said softly. "Wait. Just wait and listen."

"Listen to what?"

The blue-masked turtle nudged him in the shoulder. "_Listen_."

Raphael shut his mouth and returned his attention to the front of the room, as Joshua began speaking in a language that sounded like the elohims'. The man's fervor was startling, but it was frustrating not to know what he was saying. He didn't have to wonder for very long.

"We have only to ask. We have only to ask!" Joshua emphasized. "For far too long we've sat outside in the Light, and some have tried to satisfy themselves with this, and say it is enough. 'We were once marred with guilt and shame, but now freedom has enveloped our hearts. We have found fullness and real joy', they say. But how can that be enough for us when so many are yet in bondage, in darkness, living under a curse?

"There is a fresh wind from El here this morning – do you feel it? Can you perceive He is trying to move us out? Out of hiding, out of the fear that has driven so many of our actions for years?

"Who should we fear? The One who made the stars, Who knew us before we were even formed, He is for us. Tell me then, _who_ should we fear? El has been patient and compassionate with us all. Now He wants to know if we will follow Him, if we will change directions to go wherever we are called. He desires that Light would spread from one end of Zuhur to the other. We have only to ask for His wisdom, His guidance, and He will grant it."

With that Joshua closed his eyes, tilting his head toward the ceiling. "Blessed El, we need you to guide us. We need you to show us what to do. A dangerous task lies before our feet, and we need Your help to achieve it. Please grant us wisdom and light to direct our paths. Open the door to Arcadia, and show us how to infiltrate the city. Create opportunities for us, El, and preserve the precious lives that are still held captive this day."

Raphael heard Leonardo exhale beside him, and he looked over in time to see his brother pitch forward in his seat. He quickly threw an arm protectively around him. "Bro, you okay?"

Leonardo nodded. "Yeah. I might be…tired."

"Are you _sure_?"

His brother's face was a mask of uncertainty, and Raphael had a feeling Leonardo wasn't telling him everything.

"Maybe I ought to get you outta here."

"No, not yet," he insisted. "We're here for a reason, Raph, and we need to see it through."


	65. Vision

Leonardo could see how concerned his red-masked brother was, but he didn't know what happening _himself_, so he couldn't think of how to comfort him. He definitely wasn't ready to recount any of the vision that had just passed before his waking eyes, so he decided a little redirection would be the best way to curb Raphael's anxiety.

"Why are you shaking if you're okay, Leo?" Raphael demanded.

"You were too a minute ago, if you recall. You can't sit there and pretend like you weren't."

"It wasn't near as hard as you are, Leo."

"Would you keep your voice down? You're making a big deal out of this, and you don't need to."

Before his brother had the chance to reply, Leonardo heard the heavy door behind them swinging shut. He looked over his shoulder and groaned inwardly when he saw Donatello coming. _Great, that's _just_ what I needed._

The purple-masked turtle was temporarily distracted by the scene across the room, but it didn't stop him from his quest. His eye-ridges rose disapprovingly before he even said a word. "Really, Leo? A note?"

Leonardo motioned for him to stay quiet. "They're praying up there, and I'd prefer not to disturb them."

Donatello peered at the group one more time and then crossed around the other side of the bench. "You don't look right to me. What's going on, Leo?"

Leo resisted his brother's first attempt to take his wrist, and Donny gave him a sharp look.

"Don't you fight me, or I guarantee they'll be an interruption."

"There's nothing wrong with me," Leonardo insisted. "How did you find us?"

"I asked around. It's not like you snuck in here." Don paused with a frown. "Your pulse is racing. Have you only been sitting here this whole time?"

Leonardo cast a hesitant glance at Raphael. "Yes, but…I can't explain it, Don, but I'm okay. I swear I am."

Donny gave him an unsure look, and then turned his head as someone else approached them. Leonardo swallowed when he realized that it was Joshua.

Don rose to his feet. "What's going on here?"

"You have nothing to be worried about, Donatello. I know this doesn't make sense to you, but El sometimes moves powerfully when we seek Him," Joshua told him.

Donatello's gaze flicked between Leonardo and Raphael. "What does that have to do with my brothers?"

"'Cause we felt what he's talking about, Donny," Raphael filled in.

"You felt _what_?"

"It's hard to describe," the red-masked turtle admitted. "It wasn't _bad_, it was just different…kind of overwhelming."

Joshua gazed steadily at Leonardo. "You _saw_ something too, didn't you?"

Leonardo shifted awkwardly on the bench. "Listen, can we go somewhere else? We _need_ to talk, but I'd rather do it with everyone in one place."

"I can come, Leonardo," Joshua agreed readily. "Do you wish to go now?"

Leo looked at his brothers and then nodded. "Yes, if you're able to leave that is."

"Whenever you are ready, Leonardo."

* * *

><p>The blue-masked turtle found that he couldn't move very quickly. The strange weight that descended over him wasn't painful, but it left him tired and more than a little confused. The sensation pursued him as they made their way back to the dormitory-style room. Leonardo nodded sheepishly when he found his youngest brother, Brandon, and Jazz sitting up waiting for them.<p>

The young woman didn't even try to stifle a yawn. "Would somebody tell me what's going on here?"

"I'm sorry, everyone," Leo said evenly. "Raph and I didn't mean to disappear on you."

"Nobody's mad, Leo." Brandon tracked Leonardo as the turtle carefully crossed the room to get to a chair. "Are you _okay_?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking back at Joshua instead of his bronze-haired friend.

"Take your time, Leonardo," Joshua encouraged him. "I see no reason to rush."

Leo sighed. "I don't feel that way," he said honestly. "It's hard to relax for very long, not knowing what's happening to Jenna and the babies. It doesn't seem I have the freedom to do much sitting."

Joshua smiled. "The One who brought you this far is not going to abandon you now."

When Leo's brow creased, the man's smile widened.

"You don't actually believe all of you are only alive because of _luck_, do you?" Joshua asked.

"I don't know what to believe," Leo said flatly. "We're not supposed to be here, but then again, it was in the plan all along? It doesn't make any sense. Are we just chess pieces for someone to move around on a whim? What about _our_ lives? What about our family? It is even possible that our entire world was turned upside down only so we could try and save this one? Tell me exactly how this is supposed to work!" The turtle hadn't planned the speech, but once he'd taken off it was impossible to stop.

"There are some things we will never be able to understand," Joshua said calmly. "But El doesn't play games with his creation. That's not how He works."

"Dude…we're not a real race," Mike volunteered. "There aren't a whole bunch more of us running around somewhere. We weren't _created_ like that."

"You say that, but you don't believe it," Joshua said quietly. "Deep down, the four of you have always known that you were meant to serve a purpose. I would have to be blind not to see it.

"There are things that happen in all of our lives which El never intended. But all rational creatures are given a free will, and the ability to make their own choices. The beauty of a dire situation like this one is that El is capable of taking what was meant for evil by our enemies, and turning it around for our benefit instead. We don't expect the four of you to save us, no matter what you may think."

The blue-masked turtle snorted. "Really? Because with all of the hype surrounding the 'chosen', it sounds like a _lot_ of people are expecting the impossible from us."

"Numbers and manpower can't win a war against the Overlords, Leonardo. You already know this."

"Of course I know it," he said, irritated. "We're outnumbered too severely. It would require a weapon of untold power to beat those odds, and that could cause a lot of innocent deaths."

"The battle is not ours. The responsibility doesn't rest on you to win it for us," Joshua replied. "It's not as if a few lives alone can save a planet, let alone _two_."

Leonardo swallowed when he realized Joshua understood his line of thinking better than he thought. "Then what are we supposed to _do_?"

"What did you see while you were in the service, Leonardo? It has significance – that is why I'm asking you to tell us."

"It was so fast—"

"But you remember it."

Leo felt the prickles of goose bumps on the back of his neck as he nodded. He purposefully trained his eyes downward while he recounted the brief scene that flashed through his mind. "It was dark, even though it was daylight. It seemed like there was veil over the sun. I saw a valley. It was a wide open space, but it was full of people, and they seemed to be dressed for war. There were more guns than I could count, especially with how quickly I spanned the masses.

"_We _were there in the center of everything, along with a collection of humans, elohim, and…I think there were ducaz, now that I'm recalling it again. I swear I saw Ruairi flying overhead too, but I couldn't tell what side they were on, if any. It looked hopeless. I didn't think there was any chance we were going to overcome."

"Then what happened?" Raphael inserted.

Leonardo looked at his red-masked brother. "I heard a loud voice. I don't know where it originated from or if anyone else heard it. He said the battle was not ours."

"This is confirmation, Leonardo," Joshua assured him.

"Joshua, this is all very different for me. It's a new realm of 'crazy' that my brothers and I have never faced before. But we have no intention of leaving Zuhur without making a real attempt to stop the Overlords' advance, for the sake of our family and our entire civilization. We have no choice but to fight, even if it doesn't seem like we have a chance against them."

"That's not a bad position to be in, Leonardo. When you come to the end of your strength, you will find the _true_ source for victory."

Joshua's words reminded Leonardo of something Rebecca said in the beginning of Donatello's crisis the year before, when it seemed there was little hope of his brother recovering from the brain injury. _It was easier to pray that Don would have the strength to survive that ordeal than it is to believe we can win against an army of that size, with those weapons._

"Do you remember anything else?" Joshua pressed.

Leo closed his eyes momentarily. "The darkness of the sky was rent in two, like it was a curtain. Where it was torn, I could see light behind it."

"That is a good picture, Leonardo."

"It isn't what I asked for," he said stiffly.

Joshua's expression didn't falter. "What did you hope to see?"

"All I prayed for was some clue as to how we can save Jenna. It was hard enough to get into Central once, and we _barely_ escaped. Getting in a second time will be an even bigger nightmare. Normally my brother can get a good handle on technology and security, but everything is different this time." Leonardo finished with an apologetic look at Donatello.

"Sometimes El doesn't give us what we ask for, but that doesn't mean He gave us the wrong thing, Leonardo. He had a reason for showing you what He did."

"But how does it help us?" Leo asked.

"You may have to wait, Leonardo, but there is an answer to that."

"_You_ still haven't answered the most important question," Raphael cut in. "How are we supposed to do any of this? Is the solution just gonna fall out of the sky?"

Joshua shook his head. "There is a need to wait for guidance, but we were also placed together here for a purpose. In the presence of many counselors, there is often wisdom. I agree we need a solution for this young woman sooner than later. It's my opinion that we need to start working together to strategize and plan what may be done. We will have a greater chance of success if we have El's leading in addition to this."

Leonardo took a deep breath as he sensed some of the persistent heaviness lifting from his back. "I'm still confused, Joshua. If the battle isn't ours, why are we here? What's the point?"

"Do you suppose that El really _needs_ our help, Leonardo? He doesn't use us because He has to. El takes pleasure in equipping people to carry out His work, but that doesn't mean success rests on them. It is a matter of doing the thing He has called us to do, whether it makes sense or not. I will make this a matter of continual prayer."

The blue-masked turtle was quiet for a moment, but he didn't want Joshua to think he was done with him. "While you're here, would you mind answering a couple more questions for us?"

"I will do my best," the man replied.

"How did this group come about, if you don't mind me asking? How long have _you_ been around these elohim?"

Joshua turned his head slowly to include the rest of the room. "I first arrived in Zuhur a little over twenty years ago. I was fourteen years old when I was taken from the Earth."

"So you've been here for decades, just like Ezra," Raphael affirmed.

"Yes, and I was also a slave assigned to Arcadia. That was where I eventually met Daniel."

"Who's he?" Mike asked.

"He was a kind of mentor to me. Daniel took me under his wing when I was nothing more than a scared teenager." Joshua hesitated for a couple of seconds. "There has _long_ been danger in speaking the name of El openly, but that's exactly what Daniel did. Even when he was punished and imprisoned for it, it made little difference. I heard he continued to speak to his Overlord captors about their need to repent and turn back to El.

"Altus Abeiron eventually sentenced him to the Matches, but Daniel refused to fight. The Altus was furious enough to demand a Death Match, and he assigned Barak to make a complete spectacle of Daniel."

Joshua paused once more. "That was the beginning of a shift. Up to that time, much of the movement to seek El was limited to a few slaves. When Daniel was executed, Altus Abeiron thought that would be the end of it, but he couldn't have been more wrong."

Leonardo exchanged a glance with Raphael and looked back at Joshua. "That's what Achaz meant, isn't it? He said that the elohim waited to do the right thing until _after_ the holy man was killed."

"They did," Joshua answered. "But just the same, it's better to come to the realization of what you need before you run out of time yourself. Daniel's death marked the beginning of an alliance with a few select elohim believers, which progressed over years to where we are today."

Leo sighed. "Bahri and Ghyath were really counting on the Ruairis' help. How do _you_ feel about Achaz and the rest of them?"

"I believe that the Ruairi have some part to play in things, but I'm not one of those that ever thought deliverance would come from them. You must understand, all of you, that there is no hope of winning against the Overlords as far as _we're_ concerned. We are dependent upon El, and the victory will belong to Him. What is impossible with us is possible for _Him_."

"Then what does he need us for?" Raphael muttered.

Joshua chuckled. "Because that is how He works, Raphael, as strange as it may seem to us."

Donatello scooted to the edge of his seat. "How do you think we can actually help the elohim?"

"The Nalikjan don't lack in heart," Joshua said thoughtfully. "But they fear to _act_ – they always have. They are slow to make decisions and find it difficult to trust El completely. They have good intentions, but their ability to see a task through isn't reliable."

"They need a swift kick in the rear, is that what you're saying?" Brandon suggested.

"They need _confidence_," Joshua supplied. "They need strong leaders."

Leo cocked his head. "They won't respond to you?"

"They will rely on me to hear from El, but as far as taking them into battle? I'm not a warrior, and all of them know it."

"Why haven't any of the elohim stepped up?" Mike wondered.

Joshua shook his head. "It's not for a lack of trying. The problem is that the memory of their shame and guilt is so powerful, even the strongest tends to question themselves and their ability to make right choices. Some of them will not look me in the eye to this day. Despite the changes they've made, many of the Nalikjan still feel like they have a price to pay."

Leonardo crossed his arms. "Well if we don't do _something_, a lot more innocent people are going to pay theprice instead."


	66. Birth of a Ruse

Michelangelo was grateful to lay sunlight-starved eyes on the surface. _It's funny how quickly we get used to being in the daylight. The only time we usually get to is when we're down in North Carolina, but I never stop craving it. People just weren't meant to live in the dark all the time._

His present escape was only a temporary outing along with his red-masked brother, Brandon and Jazz, but he figured counting down the minutes until they needed to return to the catacombs was a waste of time. The flat expanse of a canyon they were traversing was encircled by mountains, but there was also a lot of room to run.

Brandon and Jazz were slightly oblivious to the turtles, and Mike couldn't blame them. _Shell, if Beck was here, I'd be distracted too. Doesn't mean I can't have some fun of my own._

Mike shot Raphael a half grin. "Bet I can make it to that tree in _half_ the time it takes you."

His brother shook his head. "Always gotta open your mouth, huh, Mikey?"

"Are you scared to try?"

"Bro, the day I'm scared of you is when I'll lay down my sai for good."

Michelangelo sent another glance at the lovebirds to encourage them to place their bets on a winner, and Raphael suddenly shot off.

"Hey!" Mike protested. "False start!"

Brandon laughed. "You'd probably catch him faster if you _ran_, Mike."

The orange-masked turtle sprinted after his brother without another backward glance, putting on a burst of speed that had Raphael in a close range within a few yards. Mike lapped over to pass him, but his brother didn't let him get that far.

Raphael intentionally collided with him and used his weight to carry them both sideways, and then tumbling to the ground. Mike almost managed to scramble upright, but the red-masked turtle caught him around the shoulders and straddled him in the dust.

"Who's scared, Mike?" He smirked.

"You cheated!"

The older turtle guffawed loudly. "How's it cheating? You didn't make no rules, Chucklehead."

"If you hadn't run off I might have!"

"Whatever, Bro. You said you'd beat me to the tree, and ya didn't even get that far. Way I see it, I won."

Mike opened his mouth to argue, and hesitated when he noticed Brandon and Jazz staring. "Are you enjoying this?"

Jazz grinned. "Immensely. It's nice that some things don't change, no matter how far away from normality we are."

"We're pretty far away from normal on our _best_ days," Raphael replied, pulling Michelangelo off the ground.

"It's a relative term where you guys are concerned," Jazz allowed. "There's everyone else's normal, and there's _your _normal: one part insane, and one part boys who will never grow up."

Mike glanced at Raphael. "Where's the fun in that?"

"You said it, Mike. There ain't no point in living the kind of life most of these aliens do, all uptight and rigid," his brother agreed. "What they need is a good dose of insanity."

Brandon exhaled softly. "The ones I've met here aren't that bad, Raph. They're so different from the Overlords, it's hard to believe they're the same race. Most of these Nalikjan are meek and quiet. I can't picture them getting into a fight with anyone, not until I remember how rough my rescuers were with me."

"No one's got a clue," Mike suggested. "This isn't just a new experience on our end; the elohim don't know what they're doing with us either."

Jazz shrugged. "Who would, really? They've been hoping however long for salvation, and then they meet _you_ guys. You're probably nothing like they expected, and it could be intimidating."

Raphael snorted. "They'd better not be too intimidated to stand up against the bad guys when the time comes."

"That will depend if they're more scared of the Overlords or _you_." Jazz chuckled.

"Now there's a battle strategy," Raphael muttered.

Mike held his breath as a wind kicked up from the east, driving the heat down on them. The sun felt good when they first emerged from underground, but the temperature was already becoming uncomfortable.

"How far _do_ you trust the Nalikjan?" Brandon asked.

Raphael sighed. "We've got no choice. This whole place is out of our league, so we _gotta_ trust someone."

Jazz shook her head. "It's out of a regular person's league, but not necessarily yours. You just have to adjust and learn who your friends are."

"Friends are complicated," Mike said quietly. "You think someone's against you and they're actually _for_ you. You believe someone else wants to help you, and they turn out to be your worst enemy. It's hard to know who's scamming you. But these elohim, the ones who believe in El…I _do_ think they're on our side, guys." Michelangelo glanced between the two humans. "I spent a lot of time with Overlords too, enough to know how different the Nalikjan are."

"How did they escape that terrible mindset when it's consumed the rest of them?" Brandon wondered. "It's no joke with those Overlords. Where I came from, some of the Commanders were required to be _worshipped_ by the 'underlings.'"

The orange-masked turtle winced. "I dunno how someone has a change of heart or walks away from most of their race. I wish more of them would though, 'cause it would make all of this easier. Instead we're trying to figure things out one baby step at a time."

Jazz looked down at the ground. "Getting Jen back is gonna be a much bigger production than rescuing _us_, huh?"

Raphael nodded solemnly. "She's in a bad spot, Jazz. We had a shell of a time getting Donny and Mike out of there, even with the advantage of the Overlords not knowing what we were up to."

Mike's brow creased with worry. "Couldn't we knock out their crystal network thing like before?"

The red-masked turtle shook his head. "I bet the bad guys would be suspicious this time. They'd _expect_ us to go after Jen. Bahri didn't make it sound like they could do it the same way, but we sure can't go in without something blocking their cameras and stuff. This place where they have Jenna is one of the most secure buildings they've got," he explained to Brandon and Jazz.

The woman frowned. "What do we know about their security?"

"You'd be better off asking someone else, Jazz. The Nalikjan probably have some of their spies around, but who know's how much help they can be?" Raphael returned.

"Who says we need to _block_ their cameras?" Mike asked suddenly.

Raphael gave him an incredulous look. "_I_ do, Mikey, unless you want all of us to end up as empty-headed prisoners again."

"But a captive would have the easiest time getting into Central." Michelangelo told him. "What if we pulled something like a Boushh?" When he received blank stares from the others, the turtle folded his arms. "Am I _only_ one who remembers Return of the Jedi?"

Raphael groaned. "Mikey, this ain't no movie!"

"It doesn't have to be. I'm telling you, this could work! Leia and them needed to get to Han, right? But he was in Jabba the Hut's palace, and she couldn't just waltz right in. So she dressed up as the bounty hunter, Boushh, and pretended to collect the reward for Chewbacca."

Brandon's eye brows rose. "You're suggesting someone should get caught in order to gain access to Jenna? How would that help anything? We'd have _two_ prisoners to rescue instead of one!"

"Because the bounty hunter would be _in _on it, Bran!" Mike exclaimed. "They'd be there to make sure everyone could escape once they get in."

"If I'm remembering Star Wars correctly, the plan didn't work very well," Jazz said doubtfully. "There are so many unknowns and things out of our control. Who in their right mind would agree to do something like this?"

* * *

><p>"I'll do it," Donatello proclaimed. "I'm in."<p>

"I do not think anyone requested volunteers," Kenric stated.

"They don't have to," the purple-masked turtle said stubbornly. "You haven't given us any new insight about how we can gain access to Central without being detected. If we can't _sneak_ in, what other choice do we have?"

"We are still capable of gaining a small measure of control over the network through our technicians," Kenric pointed out.

"For a short time!" Don emphasized. "Can you compute the likelihood of us being able to get in, find Jenna, and get back out again without running into the biggest roadblocks we've ever seen? I'm not saying we shouldn't use your techs. I'm suggesting that we ought to _wait_ to use them for as long as we can, so they can give us a shot of escaping. We may have enough time to make it work if we're already in position to do nothing but run for our lives."

"There are too many things we do not know," Bahri inserted.

Donny looked over his shoulder at the blue-eyed elohim. Bahri and Ghyath were sitting in on a strategy session for the first time since recovering. "It wouldn't be the first time my brothers and I have been forced to play things by ear. It might not be the _best _plan, but it's something. Occasionally you have to take big risks to make the big saves."

Leonardo shifted to the edge of his chair. "I don't expect any of you to like this, but it's the most plausible suggestion to come across the table so far."

"I do not understand how you perceive this as a good idea," Bahri said stiffly. "It is a tremendous risk for both the 'captive' _and_ the bounty hunter."

"Going anywhere _near_ Central is a great risk," Ghyath told him. "I think this idea has some merit. It would not enter Yasir's mind that we would try something like this. Surprise could be the most powerful ally we have."

Bahri gave him a sharp look. "You cannot agree with this."

Ghyath exhaled deeply. "We have to try something different, Bahri. What better way to catch Yasir off guard than to make him believe he is already winning? If Donatello is intent on seeing this through, then I will go with him. I will make certain both he _and_ his young woman escape."

The golden-eyed elohim looked over at Don and held his gaze steadily. "I am not afraid – not anymore," Ghyath said. "I am finished hesitating. If we are _ever_ going to make a bold move, this is the reason to do it."

"Okay, hang on," Leonardo said quickly. "We need to discuss this some more."

Kenric raised his hand in agreement. "Everything has become more complicated than before. The Overlords _know_ we have spies among them, and that information is being leaked. They already tried to feed us the wrong location for your young woman."

Donatello smirked at that. It was almost amusing that Yasir had tried to "leak" false information to set them up. _It's too bad I already know where Jenna is. Her coordinates don't lie, and even if I _couldn't_ track her, Shukri has seen her with his own eyes. Yasir has no idea the spies run so deep._

Donny looked at his blue-masked brother and smiled at the probing expression on his face.

"It's probably not enough just to send someone inside Central," Leo said finally. "We need them to think we're taking their bait, moving on the other location. Then we could both divert their attention farther away from the secure facility, and reinforce their belief that they have the upper hand."

"How would we attract attention?" Kenric asked cautiously.

"By making an attempt on their decoy location," Leonardo answered. "That's where we're supposed to think Jenna is, right?"

"But it will be a trap!" Bahri objected. "If you play along with them, it could be the downfall of everyone."

"We're not going to actually get ourselves trapped," Leonardo said. "The idea would be to create a disturbance outside so the false sense of security stays intact _inside_ Central."

"It is a nice theory," Bahri replied. "But we still have no guarantee of how quickly we would be able to access the young woman, or if they can escape at all without being seen. The Overlords have _more_ than enough men to deal with two disturbances at once."

"I'm not we to try this five minutes from now," Leonardo assured him. "It will require a lot more research. This is strategy, Bahri; we're discussing possibilities."

"But you speak as though you intend to act upon these ideas!"

"We _are_ gonna do something," Raphael said crossly.

"Can you find out more specifics on Jenna's current standing inside Central?" Leonardo asked Kenric. "Yasir's assistant, Shukri...he's the one who helped us with Mike. Doesn't he have access to her?"

"We will obtain as much reliable information as possible," Kenric said a little helplessly.

"I doubt it will cause me to like this plan more," Bahri added.

Donatello had to bite his tongue; it was all he could to do to prevent himself from berating the elohim for leaving Jenna behind in the _first_ place.

Ghyath stood up. "I would not be so quick to write it off if I were you, Bahri. The terrapins are the ones who have experience with such things, and this is their loved one in danger. If they are confident of this plan, I will stand with them. I believe we _all _should."

Bahri's gaze bored into his companion, and they seemed to have a conversation without words. After a few seconds, the blue-eyed elohim jerked to his feet. "Carry on then, for I know my opinion means nothing."

Ghyath's expression faltered for a fraction of an instant as his friend stalked out of the room, but then he regained control. "Bahri does not mean any harm," he told them. "He only fears for everything that could go wrong. A great number of things could."

Leonardo nodded. "And they usually do," he said honestly. "But we adjust, we think on the fly…and we have more planning to do before we decide anything."

Donatello looked over as his younger brother's hand fell on his shoulder.

"When I first came up with this bone-headed scheme, I wasn't picturing you doing this by yourself," Mike said tightly.

"I won't be alone," Don insisted. "But it _does _have to be me. This is my responsibility."

"It might _not_ just be you, and it's all of our responsibilities," Leonardo disagreed.

Donatello didn't bother arguing with him; there was no point yet. _I'm just happy to be going somewhere._


	67. Solo

Raphael wasn't feeling too thrilled. It was far from the first time he and his brothers been forced to attempt a desperate move in the course of a mission. He still hated the idea of Donatello going into the lion's den with no one but _elohim_ at his side. _I don't know if I trust the Nalikjan to protect him. I don't see any reason why one of us couldn't go with Donny too. _Part of the red-masked turtle was forced to admit he was probably being unfair with his standard. _It's not like Donny can't take care of himself – I would just _feel _better if I was there._

Raphael exchanged a glance with Leonardo, wondering when he should voice his concerns over the strategy. He had opted against arguing with his brothers in front of the aliens, but now that they were on the way back to their room, it was another story.

"I don't know about this either, Fearless," Raphael said. "I'm not liking this plan much. Why does the brainiac have to go alone?"

"We're not done talking about it," Leo assured him. "Keep your shell on a little longer, until we're in private."

Raphael nodded and picked up his pace. When they arrived back at the room, Brandon and Jazz were nowhere in sight. _That's probably not a bad thing, _he told himself. He immediately plunked down in a chair, as if to signify that he wasn't moving from that spot until some things were settled. That was when he noticed Donatello's scowl.

"Don't you look at me like that, Genius," Raphael said tersely. "We went through way too much to get you guys back to hand you right over to those idiots."

"They're not going to _hand_ me over, and I don't appreciate your attitude," Don returned. "It's like you don't think I'm capable of pulling it off."

Raphael growled under his breath in annoyance. "That ain't it and you know it. This whole plan is whacked out. It's the elohim I don't trust, not you. Are you ready to rely on them as your only back-up?"

"I think that's how it has to be," the purple-masked turtle said evenly. "As far as I'm concerned, the ones walking into a trap are going to be in worse danger than _me_."

"Except that we're not walking into a trap," the oldest turtle clipped. "And maybe sending only one of us on this errand to Central isn't the way to go."

"You mean so Yasir can have his hands on _two_ of us if something goes wrong?" Donatello's eye-ridges rose.

"I don't want him to have his hands on any of us!" Mike blurted out. "I'm sorry. This was my stupid idea, and I wish I'd never said anything!"

Don started to frown, but then his expression softened toward the youngest turtle. "Mike, it's not stupid. It's bold and desperate, and probably crazy enough to work. I'm going to be okay."

"Really, Donny?" Michelangelo shot back. "How do you know?"

"Because I _do_ trust the elohim to help me escape, and I think they're ready to move forward. I have enough confidence in Ghyath that I'm willing to put my life in his hands," Don said quietly. "You all need to do the same, or there's no point in staying here and trying to work with them. If we can't trust the Nalikjan, we need to walk away."

Raphael grimaced when Leonardo nodded his agreement. "So this is the direction we're going for sure?"

"Nothing is for sure yet," Leonardo said patiently. "There are several key components of this plan to figure out, but my gut says this can work. Of course things can and _will_ go wrong, but that doesn't mean we should write it off without doing proper research.

"Of the four of us, Donny pent the most time with Yasir. If anyone can get inside his head, I'm sure it's him."

"But this ain't about getting into somebody's head, Leo!" Raphael protested. "It's about getting _out_ of Central again!"

"I don't think I can do this alone, Raph," Donatello said calmly. "In fact, I know I can't. None of us are self sufficient, especially in a situation like this. I need help from the elohim, but that's only half the equation. We need another Team Distraction. Doesn't that sound like fun too?"

"It'll be _fun_ as long as everybody can walk outta there," Raphael grumbled.

"We'll get everyone out," Leonardo said simply.

"Leo, you don't know that," the red-masked turtle retorted.

"The Overlords aren't used to being resisted," his oldest brother replied. "They may be more advanced as a race, but it doesn't say anything about their life experiences. Think about how easy it was for us to steal _you_, Raph, and then with Brandon and Jazz.

"The Overlords have been the lone super power with no one to oppose them. The Ruairi were only an annoyance; they weren't causing serious damage. But at the same time, the Elite walked right into the Ruairis' trap in the wilderness.

"The Overlords aren't invincible," Leonardo insisted. "They don't know everything. They haven't been forced to develop a lot of different strategies. No dangerous adversaries makes for a less prepared society. Someone who's spent time on the battlefield and knows several maneuvers for both offense and defense has a good chance of defeating someone who hasn't.

"Do I think we have the ability to outsmart them? Yes. I don't enjoy the ideaof Don in harm's way any more than the rest of you, but we're _all _going to be in danger, no matter what title we're wearing on this mission."

Raphael's shoulders slumped, and when he stole a glance of Mike, his little brother didn't look happy either. He looked back at Donatello. "Genius, all I can say is, if I have to come in there after you, I'll never let you hear the end of it."

Donny nodded meekly. "Sounds fair, Bro."

"I hope you don't think I'm kidding," he replied warningly.

"Trust me, Raph, I don't."

The red-masked turtle rested his chin in his hand while he tried to picture what the rest of the family at home would think of the ridiculous plan. _I sure wish we had _their_ help right now. Tim, Kat, Heff, Sayuri…they'd all be nice to have along. And Victoria would be right there to help talk our humans out of trouble when they get caught by the authorities. _The thought of the auburn-haired woman made Raphael wince. _Victoria's gotta be hurting so badly over Jen. We've gotta do whatever it takes to get her little girl back to her._

Raphael clenched his fists as anger pumped through his veins anew. _We'll get to Jen all right, if it's the last thing we ever do._

* * *

><p>Ghyath silently watched the first of the twin moons rising, as was his custom on a typical evening. Sometimes Bahri would join him, but he usually opted to come alone, preferring to seek El in solitude. On this of all nights, he knew he wouldn't be accompanied by his closest friend.<p>

_El, I cannot blame Bahri for not liking the thought of this plan. It is a thing of madness, but there is still hope behind it. If we behave in a way the Overlords are not expecting, we should be able to take advantage of them. At least, I hope we will be able to. I am prepared to do what I must, El, but I ask for success for the terrapins. I ask for Your help before this plan goes any farther._

_If it would end badly for us all, then I pray you would give the terrapins another idea that will work. Blind the eyes of the Overlords so they cannot see what we are doing behind their backs. Please help us to acquire the information we need, and grant us the right people exactly where we need them to be…_

Ghyath hesitated as he sensed someone watching him, and slowly turned his head. He was startled to see the blue-masked terrapin. "Leonardo? Were you looking for me?"

Leonardo nodded. "I was, actually. Kenric told me that you'd probably be up here."

The golden-eyed elohim sat up straighter. "Yes, I often come here for peace and quiet, or to speak with El."

"I hope I'm not interrupting you."

"It does not matter. What do you need?"

"I think it's time we talked."

"Is this about the plan involving Central?"

"Not precisely, no. I'd say it's about _you_, Ghyath."

"What about me, Leonardo? If you have a question, just ask. I am not going to hide anything."

"It's not so much a question as an observation."

"What do you see, Leonardo?"

The terrapin settled down on the ridge beside him. "I see someone who doesn't give up easily, who chooses to be an overcomer…at times. You have these powerful instincts that come naturally, but you don't use them until you're backed up against a wall without a choice."

"I would not describe myself as an overcomer, Leonardo, especially in these days."

"But you _can _be," he insisted. "I've seen you in action, so you can't deny it."

Ghyath shrugged. "It seems everyone behaves differently when faced with a dire situation."

"_Everyone_ can't be the leader that you are," Leonardo said bluntly.

Ghyath's eyebrows rose. "I am not a leader for the Nalikjan, Leonardo. I do not deny they need one, but I am not the person for the role."

"Your skills suggest otherwise."

The elohim shook his head. "No. I cannot. I am not the right one."

"Why do you think that?" the terrapin persisted. "It seems like there's an underlying reason. Why, Ghyath?"

"You have to understand where I came from, Leonardo, and the life I lived before. I am not interested in leading anyone."

"Explain it to me, Ghyath."

The elohim shifted uncomfortably under his companion's unfaltering eyes. "We have all done things we regret, Leonardo, shameful acts that pursue us to this day. I have barely been saved by the grace of El, though I did nothing to deserve it."

Ghyath turned away from the terrapin, gazing at the moon he'd been watching before. "El has accepted me and forgiven my past, but it does not make me the right choice for a leader. My hands are stained with too much blood."

At Leonardo's questioning look, he sighed deeply. "I was a soldier," he told him. "I killed both slaves _and _my own kind. After Daniel was executed and elohim began turning, there was a swift response from Altus Abeiron. I was on one of the small teams dedicated to rooting out the traitors, the disloyal.

"The mission was over a year in the making, and it was by far the most horrific thing I have taken part in. Those suspected of being traitors were forced to pay homage and worship the Altus to prove their faithfulness. If they refused, they were executed, no matter age, sex, or race.

"I participated; I was _one _of them, El save me. The teams eventually disbanded when Abeiron considered the task complete…and I left the army to take a job overseeing a slave legion in the fields. I was changed, permanently altered by the evil I committed, and I did not want to live. Meeting Bahri may the only reason that I did not give up completely."

Leonardo was silent for a few seconds. "You can't pay for it you know," he said finally. "Even if you try to punish yourself for the rest of your life, it won't make a difference."

"I am not trying to pay for it, Leonardo, but neither am I going to offer myself forward to _guide_ those who believe in El. I am lucky to be here at all."

"But if you're _called_ to lead them, you're only doing the Nalikjan a disservice by remaining in the shadows."

"I am _not_ the one!" he stated emphatically. After a moment, he sighed once more. "There is no other way to say it. I am sorry I cannot be of more help."

"There _is_ something you can help me with, if you're up for it," the terrapin suggested.

"What is it, Leonardo?"

"Kenric told me that you have considerable skill with Arsiterite."

Ghyath nodded, grateful for the change of subject. "My grandfather was a master who used the material throughout his life. He tried to teach me everything that he knew. Why do you ask?"

"I need to forge a couple of swords. I've been through the process with steel, but I don't know anything about this alloy."

"The temperature difference alone is a great variant."

"Would you be willing to help forge them, Ghyath? It's really important to me."

The elohim nodded. "I am willing, Leonardo. You have only to say when."


	68. Still Waiting

***Yep. Heading home again.**

* * *

><p>Greg Heffernan gripped the steering wheel of his Jeep Liberty, staring straight ahead at the raindrops sprinkling across his windshield. When he chanced a glance out of the corner of his eye, he could see the sullen eleven-year-old Asian boy doing the same thing. He and Shunshi hadn't exchanged more then ten words since he'd picked him up from his class. The man knew he should be saying <em>something<em>, but conversation was escaping him.

He didn't blame Shun for being upset, disruptive, or even for lashing out. Their entire world was transformed overnight. While the rest of the family was struggling with the disappearance of the turtles, Greg knew it was harder on the kids; in particular the wounded, moody boy sitting to his right.

_That doesn't give him an excuse to hurt someone else, _he reminded himself. _He has a reason for reacting the way he did, but not a free pass to get away with it._

"Shun, if you wanted to quit the class, you should have," Greg told him with a reproachful tone. "Being thrown out wasn't the only way to escape."

Shunshi turned his head to stare out the window.

"You can't ignore me forever," Greg persisted. "We're going to have to deal with this."

Only silence and the sound of windshield wipers met him.

"You know Sayuri and I were only trying to help, don't you?"

"_Stop_ trying," Shunshi replied. "You're not them, and that teacher is not them. Why do you think someone else could take the turtles' place?"

"_Nobody _can take their place, Shun. That isn't what we were trying to accomplish. Sayuri and I thought the class would be an outlet for you."

"Why don't you concentrate on finding the turtles instead of worrying about me?"

Greg's grip on the wheel tightened. _He's a little boy, _he told himself with gritted teeth. "We're trying to find them, Shun. We've _been_ trying. No one's given up hope yet."

Shunshi huffed under his breath and said nothing more.

"Sayuri may already be home with your sister," Greg offered, hoping a change in subject might help.

The nineteen-year-old Asian girl had returned to the States that afternoon, after visiting her boyfriend for the first time since she and Shunshi came with Sayuri to live in America. Hisui volunteered to take Shunshi with her on the trip to Okinawa, but Greg and Sayuri both discouraged it.

_Hisui has always been forced to take a more "motherly" role with Shunshi, but that shouldn't be the case anymore. She needed this time alone with Kouhei, and some freedom for herself. Hisui never wants to let her brother out of sight, but I think this was a good step toward finally getting to live out her own life._

Even the tidbit about his sister wasn't enough to get Shunshi talking. The boy took the loss of the turtles he fiercely admired extremely hard, and Greg and Sayuri were at their wits end concerning what else to do for him. Neither of them were experienced parents; Sayuri herself had only taken on the two kids about three years prior.

Greg attempted to take on a stronger role with them after he and Sayuri married that Spring, but deep down he felt overwhelmed. The prospect of helping Shunshi find comfort in the face of missing his idols and preventing Hisui from continuing to hold herself back for her brother's sake was beginning to seem impossible.

The man decided to allow silence to continue, because he didn't feel like fighting to get anything else out of the boy. When he pulled into the parking garage adjacent to their building, he was relieved to find Sayuri's Jetta in its proper place. _That means she's here with Hisui. Maybe seeing his sister will snap Shunshi out of his funk a little bit, but I'm not holding my breath._

* * *

><p>Sayuri looked surprised when Greg walked in the door. "Greg-chan? I thought you had a meeting with…" The Asian woman trailed off when Shunshi swept in the door behind him. "Shunshi-kun? What happened?"<p>

"Nothing," he said shortly, and continued through the foyer to go down the hall.

Sayuri turned to Greg, who shrugged helplessly.

"He got way too rough in sparring. With the warning he already received last week, that was it. They kicked him out."

The woman grimaced. "I thought taking this class would be the one way he could use his energy constructively."

Greg shook his head. "It was a good idea in theory, but I should have _known_ he wouldn't listen to another teacher, not after training so hard with the turtles."

"Did he talk to you at all?"

"No, though it wasn't for a lack of trying. He just wasn't interested. I don't know what to do, Sayuri. I wanna help, but I'm at a loss. What's going to happen when school restarts?"

She rubbed her temples tiredly. "I wish I had the answer, Greg-chan. I've known him long enough that it seems like I should, but…I don't know what to do either."

Hisui came around the corner from the living area, smiling broadly when she saw Greg.

"Hey, Hisui," he greeted her. "It's good to see you."

The girl gave him a swift hug, tossing black hair out of her eyes. "Did I hear Shun come in?"

"It wasn't a good day," he told her. "He went to his room."

Hisui's brow furrowed. "I should talk to him. I would like to see Shun anyway."

Greg stepped aside to let her through and sighed heavily. "Maybe having her back will help him," he suggested. Sayuri moved toward him and he embraced her for several seconds. "Shun tells me to focus on finding the guys, but I don't know what else to do, Sayuri. I told him not to lose hope, but we haven't found _anything_. I'm starting to doubt that we will."

"You are taking too much on yourself, Greg-chan. It's not your fault the turtles are gone, or that you haven't been able to find them."

He shook his head. "This isn't about blame or guilt. I don't know where to go from here, or _how_ we're going to recover if they're really gone for good."

* * *

><p>Calley allowed the music to wash over her senses, breathing in the notes as if they were oxygen. She concentrated on listening to the individual chords, like she was preparing to once again dance for her life on a stage for thousands. <em>The frame of mind has always mattered much more than the environment.<em>

Flowing with the music and changing tempo, she moved seamlessly from a pirouette into a _grand jete_ leap. She was barely aware of the unusual boundaries under which she was operating. Calley had enough experience working out underground in New York that she automatically adjusted for the space restrictions of the walk-out basement in Lotus Salvus.

Dancing was one of the times when she could be the most free, because she didn't _have_ to think. It was only her and the living, breathing music. Sometimes she didn't even hear the lyrics, if indeed the particular song she was using possessed any.

It wasn't until she paused in one place that the words of _Fix You _washed over her as the song restarted. The track had replayed many times, and Calley wasn't sure how long she'd been working. The longer she hesitated on the mat, she recognized her legs were feeling extremely tight. The blond-haired woman sank down on the familiar surface and began to slowly stretching the muscles out to cool down.

When Calley looked up from the exercise she realized Karina was watching her from the patio door. She waved the Latin woman to come inside, and Karina didn't come alone. The moment the bronze-haired woman opened the door, four-year-old Reina scuttled into the room with her three-year-old cousin Olivia hot on her heels.

The human girl and the turtle instantly took charge of the mat, experimenting with their own twirls and tricks that were often encouraged by all of their parents alike.

Karina smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Calley. Were you finished?"

Calley nodded. "I'm good – I got in plenty of a workout."

"Well then, how about I turn on something these girls can have some fun with?" Karina winked over her shoulder at her and began scanning through the mp3 player in the dock.

The blond woman got to her feet and moved to the couch on the far wall, where Karina joined her after selecting a rhythmic instrumental that had both toddlers squealing. Calley rested her arm over the back of the couch while she watched the cousins divulge in their individual styles.

Reina was primarily fixated on spins and leaps along with the occasional somersault. Olivia was more heavily influenced by the basic maneuvers Raphael had only started teaching the little turtle over the last year. Calley gasped as the three-year-old landed a perfect round-off out of a cartwheel.

"My word. If only Raph could see her now," she told Karina.

"I know, right? She's taken to the exercises so well; not that I'm shocked. Ninjutsu _has_ to be part of her DNA. I can do a lot of the simple things Raph was working on with her, so I've been trying to reinforce it. I can't have him coming home to find out his little girl has forgotten everything. I suppose Kat could work with her too, but that would mean mixing up her style with Taekwondo. Raph might not approve of that yet," she finished impishly.

Calley shook her head, though she knew her friend was joking. "He'd just have to deal with it, Karina."

Karina's hand suddenly fell on her shoulder and a more serious expression came over her face. "What was with the Coldplay you were dancing to, Chica? Are you _trying_ to torture yourself?"

Calley felt a little self conscious as she tossed fringed bangs off her forehead. The music was well-known in the family for being Leonardo's personal preference. "It wasn't torture," she replied. "In a way, it's a reminder. It doesn't give me a reason to mourn – not yet. I don't want to behave like he's dead when I don't believe that he is."

"I don't believe they're dead either, Calley. I only worry about you, in addition to everyone else."

"I'm okay, Karina. I miss Leonardo, _all _of them, as much as the rest of you, but..." Calley paused for a few moments. "I have this feeling deep down that the separation is vital. Whatever's going on, whatever they're facing, it's extremely important."

The Latin woman crossed her arms protectively over her chest. "I think it's important for them to be _here_. But I know they would be if they could, and that's what scares me the most. Knowing they don't have a choice in the matter, that they're stuck catering to someone else's whim. But I do believe they'll find a way back if it exists. I just hope they're not hurt, or in danger, or…worse."

Calley didn't speak, gazing at the two children making up their moves on the mat instead. "I feel heavy," she said at last. "Whenever I pray, whenever I reach out toward them…It's just heavy, one of the greatest burdens I've ever felt. I remember sensing something akin to this when they were dealing with the Akiudo, but this is worse. I don't know where they are, or what they're doing. I keep praying for their strength, because that's all I can think of." Her voice broke a little with the last word.

Calley closed her eyes briefly as tears threatened. "In spite of the heaviness, I know they're not alone. In everything they're facing, they're not alone. That's where my hope is coming from, Kari."

The bronze-haired woman extended her arm to Calley and leaned against her side. "That _is_ a comforting thought, _hermana_. I'll cling to that too, if you don't mind."

"Not at all."

Karina squeezed her tightly, and then chuckled as Reina spun directly into Olivia while she was attempting a front flip. Both girls went down in a heap on the mat, laughing so loudly it was clear neither of them were hurt.

"I think Reina needs your touch, Calley," Karina said.

She laughed. "This from my _own_ trainer. I'm surprised at you, Karina."

"Hey, I've got my hands full with _Raph's_ kid. Did I tell you my daughter tried to jump down a flight of stairs yesterday? Olivia has no fear."

"She's like her dad," Calley said lightly. "Bold, strong—"

"And she doesn't always think before she leaps," Karina muttered. "That's going to be _my _burden to carry."


	69. New Arrivals

Leonardo jolted awake, sitting up straight in bed. The blue-masked turtle wasn't sure what woke him, but as he silently waited for clarity, he heard muffled voices and footsteps coming from the hall.

"Fearless?" Raphael said suddenly. "You heard something too?"

Leonardo got to his feet with a nod and noticed _all_ of his brothers were awake.

"What do you guess they're doing?" Mike wondered.

"There's only one way to find out," Leo replied logically and headed for the door.

He inched it open part way and peered into the passage. It was brighter lit than he'd expected to find, and it took a couple of seconds to see several figures traveling east down the hallway.

"Hey," Leonardo called after them. "Wait a minute."

One of the shadows near the rear of the group turned and backtracked toward him. It turned out to be a flaxen-haired elohim woman, who stood at least a foot taller than the turtle.

"Forgive us, terrapin; did we disturb you?"

"Oh, it's all right," he assured her. "Is something going on? What time is it?"

"It is late, very late," she said apologetically. "We arrived only minutes ago."

"Arrived from where?"

"Arcadia," the woman replied. "Evacuations are already underway."

"Evacuation?"

"For many of us hiding in plain sight, it is the chosen time to depart. Those that remain behind are considered essential for infiltrating the Overlord's network. It is an honor to meet one of you, terrapin, though it was not our intention to wake anyone…"

"Leonardo," he filled in for her. "And it's okay. We were just curious."

She bobbed her head lightly in return. "I hope that you can get back to sleep easily. Good night, _Ozrilh_." (Champion)

Leonardo shook his head when she turned away to rejoin her group, then went back inside their room and quietly shut the door. "New arrivals," he explained. "Apparently there are going to be quite a few of them. The woman I talked to called it an evacuation."

Donatello's brow furrowed. "I hope they aren't making the mistake of being _too_ obvious. I'd hate to think the elohim could inadvertently lead an enemy here."

The blue-masked turtle shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about it either way, is there? We have to trust they know what they're doing."

Raphael snorted. "Talk about a leap of faith."

Leo crossed the room and settled down on his bed. "We can catch the high points with Kenric later to find out how many are on their way. For now, we need to get some more sleep."

"_Should_ we be sleeping?" Mike asked. "With stuff happening, I mean. I don't wanna miss anything."

Leonardo sighed softly. "It's the middle of the night, Mikey. Unless it's an emergency, details can wait for a few hours."

"So it's light's out already? Geesh, now I'm all wide awake," his youngest brother complained.

"Then lay your head back down and pretend it's the middle of the night," Raphael offered sarcastically.

"You don't _have _to pretend," Don pointed out.

"That's what I _meant,_ Donny," Raphael retorted, exasperated. "Let's get some shut eye before another parade comes by to wake us up."

"We all know parades are your favorite thing, Raphy." Mike chuckled.

The red-masked turtle glared at him. "Not. Another. Word."

Brandon sat up suddenly on Raphael's other side. "Since we're all awake, I could almost go for a game of alphabetical insults."

"I'll give you _both_ some insults if you don't shut your traps," Raphael insisted.

Mike grinned in Brandon's direction. "He's never been any fun on a sleepover, Bran. Don't you remember that time in the Congo—" The orange-masked turtle was interrupted by a flying pillow, but he caught it in of mid-air. "How are you gonna sleep _now_, Raph?"

Raphael growled something unrepeatable as he rolled over. "You're beggin' for it, Pipsqueak."

Michelangelo smirked. "That would require you to get up."

Leonardo rolled his eyes as Raphael launched at Mike, but even _he_ laughed when his youngest brother twisted and forced the red-masked turtle to miss him entirely, only to crash to the floor on the other side of the bed.

"I know you're tired, Bro, but you gotta do better than _that_." Mike laughed.

A green hand flailed over the side of the mattress, clamping down on Mike's leg before he'd finished laughing. Michelangelo was yanked out of Leonardo's sight with a squeal that echoed painfully in his ears.

"What now, Bonehead?" Raphael challenged.

"_Ow_! I need that arm for the rest of my life, Raphy! Donny, he's mauling me; help a brother out!"

The purple-masked turtle exchanged a look with Leonardo. "Haven't I warned you about goading him, Mike? When you make your bed, you've got to lie in it," he cracked.

"How can I _lie_ in it when he's on top of me?" Mike called back.

"Guess _I'm_ just gonna have to put you to bed then." Raphael hauled him off of the floor and set Mike down on the edge of his mattress. "Do you need me to tuck you in for good, or can you shut your mouth by yourself?"

"All right, c'mon," Leo inserted. "Let's settle down before we wake up Jazz too."

"How in the world could anyone could sleep through _those_ two lugs?" the young woman asked. "Are you guys gonna separate to your neutral corners, or do I need to send Brandon to come between you?"

"Don't drag me into it, Jazz," Brandon said quickly. "It's more fun to watch them fight it out."

Jazz chuckled. "Why do you think they do it in the first place? I bet if we ignored them, they'd calm down a lot faster. Anyone wanna test that theory?"

"You sure about that, Jazz?" Raphael retorted. "I'm wide awake now – I could keep this going for hours."

Leonardo groaned. "You two are worse than Olivia and Reina. Raph, you go to your bed, Mike, you stay in yours. No more touching for the rest of the night, or the excess energy will be put to use doing fifty flips each!"

Raphael grinned down at his little brother. "_There's_ your spoil-sport, Mikey."

"Do you want me to double it? Bed, now!"

* * *

><p>Leonardo was a little overwhelmed and <em>definitely<em> out of the loop. Since their arrival at Zokcimel, the turtles had mostly kept to themselves or been with a couple of select elohim at a time. That morning, however, they'd been summoned to an assembly at Kenric's invitation that had them traveling to a deeper level of the catacombs than any of them had visited before.

The scale of the hall was surprising to the blue-masked turtle, but not as much as the number of elohim already filling the space. He _absolutely_ wasn't expecting to see ducaz there. Leonardo almost tripped over one's tail before he recognized the form of the alien underneath the cloak. The ducaz stared back wordlessly, bright orange irises glowing as he surveyed the turtle.

After a couple of seconds, the alien bowed his head respectfully. "So it is true: the terrapins _have_ emerged. I confess I was questioning whether or not you would be here, though there was little reason to doubt. The elohim do not move this quickly without having a very good reason." The ducaz paused to study the rest of the turtles. "I am sure the four of you are reason enough."

"You'll have to forgive us, but they didn't mention anything about you," Leonardo replied.

"That was at my request," the ducaz said. "Very few of the Nalikjan knew about an alliance before this day."

"Alliance?" Raphael echoed. "Is this springing up out of nowhere?"

The strange orange irises focused on the red-masked turtle. "We did not come out of nowhere. Zuhur was _ours_ once, and it was much more alive than what you see today. But now is not the time to dwell on such things. I am Chinwe, and I have been eagerly waiting to meet all of you."

Leonardo bowed his head in response. "If you're enemies with the Overlords, then I think we'll get along fine."

Donatello chuckled. "How does the saying go? 'The enemy of my enemies is my friend?'"

"That is one way of putting it," Chinwe replied. "Terrapins, they are close to getting started. I wonder if you would mind accompanying me."

The blue-masked turtle willingly followed the ducaz, feeling flustered by the revelation of more details he and his brothers knew nothing about. _We're inside an alien civilization, just jumping onboard for a move that's been decades in the making. We can't expect to know everything, but I wonder if we'll _ever_ be completely on the same level as the rest of them. _Leonardo didn't say anything about his concern for the benefit of his brothers. _It's not worth getting anyone else worked up._

Chinwe ended up leading them to a section where at least two dozen more ducaz were seated. Leonardo noticed the purple-masked turtle hesitate in his step for a moment, but then start walking again. He opened his mouth to ask Donatello what was wrong, but his brother shook his head to stop him from asking.

"These are some of my people, what is left of them," Chinwe told them. "A few of those who have chosen _not_ to serve the unbridled visitors who claimed our planet as their own."

Leo nodded. "The only other ducaz I've met work for the Overlords. So there are a number of you who don't?"

"There are roughly 3,000 left who would prefer to rebel, but at least half of that number are women or children who are too young to fight," Chinwe said ruefully, shaking his head. "The rest of our kind chooses to side with the Overlords as the inevitable rulers of the planet, which they are _destroying_. Tell me you can see the foolishness of cooperating with an evil force who has no regard for the world we hold sacred."

Leonardo nodded once more. "I do see it, Chinwe."

"_They_ do not. The ducaz's eyes are blinded and their only thought is for survival. Some of them might believe the Overlords mean good for them, but we know better."

"You can say that again," Raphael murmured.

A medium-loud tone drew their attention y, and Leonardo looked up front to see two elohim taking charge of the room. One of them was a stranger, but he also recognized Kenric on the platform.

"_Rayah_,"(Greetings) the unfamiliar elohim said first, as if speaking to someone over his crystal. To Leonardo's astonishment, he realized the crystals of their nearby elohim counterparts were _amplifying_ the sound of the alien's voice.

_Is there anything those stones can't do? I bet Don would have a field day with something like that. _Leonardo started to sneak a glance back at his genius brother, but decided it was more important to pay attention to what was going on.

"…with the approach of an important hour, our numbers here will continue to grow on a daily basis," the elohim was saying. "It is necessary for all of our people to band together. It may prove to be a strain on our current resources, but it must be done for the safety of everyone alike.

"We know there are many unanswered questions, and several of you are currently in the dark as to what is happening. This is not done intentionally, but because the plan for the following days and weeks is still being formed. We ask only for your cooperation in helping get guests settled, and your prayers for decisions that have yet to be made."

The speaker looked at Kenric, and the other elohim took a step forward.

"I know that rumors of our return trip to Arcadia are circulating. The story of a rescue effort in the making is true. We are working together with contacts who retained positions behind enemy lines and the terrapin warriors to devise the best approach.

"The plans may not be well received by any of you, but we have confidence that El's hand is involved at every level. We will go forward, whether we are comfortable with the risks or not. From here on out, you should not expect to feel comfortable. You should not expect to enjoy everything. If we only do the things we _have _been doing, nothing is going to change.

"But if we want to see Light engulf the darkness and overwhelm our enemies, then we must begin to act in a new way. I do not blame anyone for being nervous or afraid. There is more pressure involved in doing something simply because El says to do it, without having all of the answers up front.

"Please believe we are not trying to hide things from any of you. Because the vision is yet taking shape, we cannot give you a clear picture."

Leonardo folded his arms as he leaned forward in his seat. _And if they don't come up with a "clear vision" for invading Arcadia, I guess my brothers and I can arrange it on our own._


	70. Love & Reminiscing

Donatello was growing wearier of waiting with each day that passed, and every new arrival into Zokcimel. The loosely devised plan for getting into Arcadia didn't seem to have taken much shape over the last six days, but he understood things _were_ happening behind the scenes. _But not fast enough for my liking. It's been almost a week. I want to know something definite, something for _sure_._

Leonardo had been absent for most of the last few days, but Donny didn't have to question what his oldest brother was doing. He harbored curiosity over the unique forging techniques the blue-masked turtle divulged during rushed meals, where eating was more about function than relaxing.

Donatello was slightly concerned about the hours Leonardo was keeping with Ghyath around the clock, but it was necessary in order to complete the pair of katanas quickly. _Leo probably wouldn't mind if we came to watch, but I think it's better to let him focus and not treat them like an attraction. This is really important to Leo, and it's a complicated process. They don't need any distractions, though _I_ would sure welcome one, _he thought morosely, absent-mindedly drawing a circle in the sand with his toes.

Donny didn't enjoy spending time in the wilderness during the heat of the day, but the coolness that followed in the early evening before the temperatures plummeted was another matter.

He looked up from his meager etching in the sand to watch Raphael and Michelangelo circle each other for what was probably the 80th time. _If they had nothing to do except beat up on each other all day, they'd probably still be entertained. _

Donny was alone, sitting apart from his brothers. He made a conscious effort not to brood over the missing piece of his heart, but some hours it was harder to resist than others. Depression from the enormity of their situation and being cut off from his wife and loved ones was such a consistent battle that he measured it by hours rather than days.

_It doesn't help anything to get upset. It won't change what's happened, or make things move along faster. It honestly seems like it'd be better not to think at all, but that only works for a little while._

The medic in him cringed when he saw his younger brother collapse under a rigorous take-down on Raphael's part. Yet even as Donatello instinctively rose, the orange-masked turtle was jerking to his feet and laughing it off. Donny shook his head. _I'm getting more paranoid, expecting the worst at every turn. But that's only because we've been _faced_ with the absolute worst over the last couple of months. _Months_, _he repeated to himself_. In a few more days, we'll be going on three. This is madness. Is there any chance on Earth that the rest of our family doesn't think we're dead or not coming back?_

He sighed heavily when his thoughts inevitably shifted back to Jenna. In the beginning of their relationship, it wasn't unusual for him to be separated from the raven-haired woman for extended periods of time. _We were both kids, and her parents were working in Australia. It's astonishing that they let her out of their sight for as long as they did._

Jenna's initial decision to take college on in the States had been a frightening prospect for Donatello. While he couldn't deny falling for her, the turtle never intended on allowing the relationship to continue. _I didn't want her to get hurt or be limited because of me. No matter what the girls say, we _do_ hold them back in a way. We also probably get them into more trouble than they'd ever be in on their own._

Years of arguments over that very issue rang in his ears as he exhaled. _I suppose we have a knack for getting them _out_ of trouble too, and it's not _always_ our fault. No one can say we didn't give them the opportunity to walk away either. Some of us pushed them back a lot harder than others._

The thought of how _many_ times he'd tried to brush Jenna off made him wince. _I wanted more for her. I wanted her to have a real life, but this family _is_ real. Things may not be perfect, but we support each other. No one gets left behind._

Donatello looked up at the murky cloud-filled sky. _As a kid, I never pictured myself growing old with someone or even having a shot with a girl. Nothing has turned out the way I imagined it would, and some of the things I was so certain of have been disproved. I would have staunchly denied we could have kids until the day I died…and I would have been wrong._

_As much as I wanted Jen to have a normal life, I can't stand to think about _not_ having her. I set myself up for the reality of not having kids because her _own_ difficulty in conceiving, but now my heart is set on it. These desires are nowhere near as simple to control as I thought they'd be._

Donny paused once more, reminiscing about the first night when the young woman unexpectedly entered his life. As he pictured the cold determination and lack of fear in her eyes toward her kidnappers, he almost laughed. _Who am I kidding? I was a goner from the first time I saw her, even if it took me a lot longer to admit it._

He clenched his fists subconsciously while concern over what Jenna was facing welled up inside him. _She was strong before she met me, and she's grown leaps and bounds since. Jen will be okay. She will. And we're going to get to her if it kills me._

Donatello sensed someone standing behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw the blue-eyed elohim hesitating a few feet away.

"What's up?" Don asked.

"Um…not too much," Bahri answered awkwardly.

Donatello smiled at Bahri's attempt to be casual, but then did a double-take when he realized that the elohim was concealing something behind his back. "What do you have there?"

Bahri cleared his throat. "I thought that you might prefer…well, I may have overstepped my bounds, but…"

Donatello forced exasperation down. "Bahri, what is it?"

The elohim ventured closer before extending the cylindrical object he was carrying. "There is significance to your weapon too, is there not?"

Donny's eyes flicked between Bahri and the staff with surprise.

"Would you mind testing the weight?" Bahri asked. "I am not positive if it is correct. The substitute we use for wood is naturally less dense, but we are capable of altering the balance."

The purple-masked turtle accepted the weapon from him, hefting it through the air to get a feel for it. He immediately felt the difference in the bo staff from the texture of the surface, but the actual size and weight was so similar to his own that he was _further_ surprised. "Did you do this?"

"I had help," Bahri acknowledged. "It took some research to make the dimensions accurate, but I was hoping it could suffice you for the time being. We worked on a substitute for your younger brother too, though he has not seen them yet."

Donatello gave the bo another experimental roll with his fingers, slashing it over his head and across his body in a tight circle. "I think it'll work nicely."

Bahri looked uncertain. "I thought you might prefer to make your own, but since time was of the essence—"

"Is it?" Donny interrupted.

"Well, yes. That is the other reason I came down here to talk to you. A company will be departing for Arcadia tomorrow," Bahri explained. "We were waiting on specific confirmation from several key players that need to intersect with us, and the last contact was made a couple of hours ago. The pieces are coming along – the only thing left to do is put them together."

Donatello lowered his bo. "You're still not keen on the bounty hunter trick, are you?"

"There is nothing in the world that could make me like that plan, Donatello, but I think you are very brave."

"Brave _and_ afraid," Donny corrected. "If I didn't fear for Jen and the babies, I wouldn't risk this either. I'm not doing it for kicks, Bahri. I don't have a choice."

"There is always a choice, Donatello. You are simply making the one you feel is necessary, no matter how difficult it may be to implement."

Don smiled. "There's not much to think about when you're in love, Bahri. Hasn't there ever been someone for you?"

The elohim actually laughed. "No, I could not say that. Most elohim do not take a woman until they are over 150 years, and I have barely crossed my first century. It is not like Earth, terrapin. That is…for elohim, love is not typically a thing concerning mutual pleasure. A man may take a woman, or he may choose not to marry. Perhaps only a quarter of the population will opt to procreate and have a family."

Donatello cocked his head curiously. "None of you know what it's like to be in love?"

"Few, Donatello. The 'love' of most is only a cold act of necessity, not one of true companionship. I have seen deeper relationships grow among the Nalikjan, but much of my experience with love comes from my studies of _your _world."

"You seem to know a lot about our history, based on what Leo told me. Do all of the Overlords know this much about Earth?"

Bahri shook his head. "No, they do not. The reason I recall so much by memory is because it was part of my old job to catalog and record such material."

"Your old job?"

"I studied Earth, to learn about their past and present condition. I assembled and organized information for the Overlords."

"So…you're a book worm," Donny said ironically.

"I am familiar with that term, and I suppose it applies. I confess I do not understand many of the humans' ways, even after studying them. This emotion called 'love' seems to be the most complicated thing of all.

"Many take part in it time and time again without a relationship ever lasting. Yet their lack of success does not stop them from pursuing someone else. Others insist on remaining with a person who appears to be utterly harmful to them. I cannot fathom the reasoning behind it."

Donatello heaved a deep sigh. "Reason's got nothing to do with, Bahri. Love _is _complicated, and it's not something I can explain to you in a few words. A lot of people get hurt in the process, and others never find it at all. Sometimes people are happy together for a long time, only for it to fall apart later.

"I think it's easy to mistake love for only being an emotional response to a person, but it's a lot more than that. Love is what you _do, _how you stay together and keep going when everything's not perfect. Love is…it's one of the most intimate, frightening, powerful things you can engage in. It's not to be taken lightly."

Bahri nodded. "Perhaps I will know this experience one day."

"If you stay open, Bahri, you never know."

"Is it worth it?"

Donatello turned to face the elohim. "You bet it is. Why else would I be willing to hand myself over to the crazy guy who's responsible for bringing us here?"

"I thought Ghyath was handing you over to him."

"Same difference, Bahri."

"The same what?"

Donny chuckled. "It's the same thing." He gave his newfound weapon another twirl and then smiled at Bahri. "Thanks."

The elohim ducked his head. "You are welcome. Perhaps we should meet with your other brothers and get everyone caught up."

Don gripped the weapon tightly as he brought it back to his side. "Yeah, it's about time that we did that."


	71. Depart

Michelangelo tried hard to stifle a yawn, but he couldn't prevent it. The orange-masked turtle had been so excited that he'd barely slept the night before, despite his best effort to settle down. From the amount of stirring that he'd heard from the others, Mike knew he wasn't alone in that.

He kicked one leg off the rock he was perched on, swinging it back and forth as he and Donny waited for some sign of their older brothers. Neither Leonardo nor Raphael had come to their room at _all_ last night. The race had been on to finish Leo's weapons, and it had translated into the red-masked turtle abandoning rest to join him and Ghyath.

"Do you think they finished?" Mike asked Donatello.

The purple-masked turtle snorted. "When have you known Leo not to finish something, Mikey?"

"This is true. I can't help wondering how the katana came out."

Donny nodded. "I'm excited to see them too."

"Not as excited as you are to get going though, huh?"

His brother took a deep breath. "I'm really nervous, Bro, but yeah…I'm ready to go. I feel like this has been years in the making."

Michelangelo chuckled. "If we'd waited on the elohim to come up with something by themselves, it mighta taken that long."

Donatello made eye contact with him. "You're probably right, but the motivation behind their hesitation is different than I thought it was. They're afraid, but it's not death that scares them so badly. Something Bahri told me yesterday makes me see them in a little bit of a new light.

"The elohim were under incredible darkness for such a long time that they still fear being consumed by it again. Being overly-cautious and slow to act is how they've always lived, and they didn't have a bunch of 'heroes' to teach them otherwise. Daniel was the closest thing to a renegade that any of them had ever encountered, and he met an extremely violent end.

"The elohim don't trust themselves to be strong enough, to react to circumstances in the right way, so they're constantly second-guessing everything. When they look at their lives, a lot of them only see the conformity and weakness of the past."

"So…we're planning on going to war along with a bunch of guys who don't think they have what it takes?" Mike wondered.

Donatello shook his head. "The elohim aren't perfect, Mike, but they're not as bad as I thought they were either. I think they deserve some credit for breaking away from the Overlords to begin with. It had to be difficult, not only to cut ties with their people, but to _stay _among the evil with the hope of gaining an advantage over it. I can't imagine how helpless they must have felt, being so outnumbered. It is any wonder they were so click to latch on to the idea that someone else was coming to help them?"

"Do you think that they're right about the 'chosen' thing? That some higher power dropped us in from out of the sky to help change their future?"

Don exhaled. "I don't think that's actually how it works, Mikey. I believe there's a possibility that we're dealing with a power that has a scope so wide, he's capable of taking a situation like this and turning it around in a way that the enemy would never see coming."

Mike laughed. "Well, yeah. Who would expect a tiny army to attack a giant one? It's kind of like the ultimate suicide mission, huh?" He cracked a grin, even though he didn't really think it was funny.

"I don't know, Mike. But if there is a plan…a reason for us to be here, then I think all we can do is watch for opportunities and take them. Sometimes it also means creating our own windows, like we're going to in Arcadia."

"I wish I'd never opened my mouth," Mike mumbled. "I still don't want you to be in Central by yourself."

"I won't _be _by myself, Mike. We've all had a hard time learning to trust the elohim, for different reasons. Each of us had unique alien experiences when we first arrived here…and we all got burned. But I'm ready to jump in with both feet, Bro. They would have given up their lives to save Leo, and I've got to believe that Ghyath will back me up in Central too.

Leo has faith in Ghyath – he told me so himself. Ghyath was the one who took charge in Central when everything went to hell on them last time. Leonardo thinks he has what it takes, and that's enough for me."

"You sure you don't wanna trade places with me and go have fun being a distraction?" Mike tempted him, even knowing his brother wouldn't agree.

The purple-masked turtle grasped his shoulder lightly. "We all have our roles, Mike. You know I have to do this."

Michelangelo shrugged. "Just promise me that you're not gonna end up as Jabba the Hut's slave or something."

"I couldn't do that, Mike; do you want to know why?"

Mike looked straight at him. "Why?"

"Because I could never, _ever_, pull off that bikini," he replied with all seriousness.

The orange-masked turtle laughed, and it actually felt genuine. "You never know. You could turn out awful cute, Bro," he teased.

"That's not an image I want burned into my mind."

"Well you made _me_ picture it. How am I supposed to get rid it?"

"Who knew Star Wars could be so dangerous?" Donatello remarked. "In the wrong hands, I suppose anything can be."

Michelangelo nodded mock-gravely, but the look faded when he caught a glimpse of his older brothers. "They're coming, Donny!"

Mike bounded off the rock as eagerness coursed through his veins. There was weariness in the blue-masked turtle's steps, but the familiar light behind his eyes made Michelangelo instantly feel confident.

"How are you feeling, Leo?" Donny probed.

"Tired," he answered. "But I'll have time to catch up."

The grin on Raphael's face was familiar too. "I'm not sure about that, Fearless. It could take you a week at this point."

Mike shook his head as Leonardo gave the red-masked turtle a withering look.

"Well, let's see them!" Michelangelo piped up. "We've been waiting forever."

Leonardo reached over his shoulder and slowly withdrew one of the weapons. Mike caught his breath, duly impressed by the well-honed blade that was polished to mirror brightness. The katana bore a striking resemblance to its' steel counterpart, but when sunlight drifted across the surface, it created a startling incandescent effect that made the blade almost appear to glow.

The orange-masked turtle whistled. "Wow."

"They'll do the trick," Leonardo told him. "The alloy is stronger than steel, easier to maintain, and resistant to corrosion. They should last for a _long_ time."

"It looks like all of your work was worth it," Donny agreed.

Leo nodded, exhausted. "I really wasn't sure if we'd have time to finish them both, but Ghyath told me it could be done with some extra help." He shot Raphael a meaningful look.

The red-masked turtle snorted. "We couldn't have you running around with one blade, Bro. What would the girls at home say to that?"

Leonardo chuckled. "It wouldn't have been the same." He looked around suddenly. "Is there a ship around here somewhere, or are we going to have to walk all the way to Arcadia? I don't think I have it in me right now."

"We could all take turns carrying you, Bro." Mike snickered.

"But that won't be necessary," Donatello chimed in. "Mike and I came up here early. We still have a few minutes before the others were supposed to be meeting us."

"Where's Bran?" Leo asked.

"If he's smart, he's stealing some extra time with Jazz," Raphael offered.

"Nah, she's going with us," Mike replied. "They won't even have to say the big goodbye."

Leonardo's eyes narrowed. "When was that decided, and why wasn't I included in the conversation?"

Donatello laughed loudly. "Are you kidding, Leo? As if you haven't been occupied with anything else? Jazz is only riding along with us. She won't take part in any missions."

The blue-masked turtle crossed his arms. "She doesn't need to be anywhere near Arcadia."

"Neither do the rest of us, but we're going," Don answered. "She doesn't want to stay behind by herself."

"Yeah? What does she plan on doing while the rest of us are risking our shells?" Raphael demanded. "She'll be sitting in a _ship_ by herself."

"No, she'll stick with Kenric, who's helping organize things from the outside," Don said smoothly.

"But don't you see the irony?" Leo persisted. "There's no reason for her to be there."

"Are you going to tell her that she can't come with us?" Donatello challenged.

Leo gave him a dark look. "Do you think that I won't?"

Mike exhaled deeply. "Sleep-deprived Leo gets cranky."

"I am _not_," the oldest turtle said sharply.

"You don't sound like it either." Raphael chuckled.

"I'm not cranky!" he insisted.

Michelangelo repressed a grin, trying to appear as serious as possible. "Okay, Bro, that's cool. Let's see about finding that ship so you can take a load off." Maintaining an even expression was all the harder when Leonardo glared at him.

The sound of footsteps approaching from the closest tunnel had Mike stretching to look over his older brothers' shoulders. He smiled when he noticed Brandon and Jazz hand-in-hand among the emerging elohim.

The blue-masked turtle turned around, nodding when Ghyath came toward them first. "You're not flying, right?"

The golden-eyed elohim shook his head. "No – we both need to take the time to recuperate. The good news is that we are not being forced to act in a particular moment, so we can simply get into position to be prepared to move."

"Where's our ride?" Raphael asked.

"It is nearly here," Ghyath answered.

"Good – then we have time to address one last piece of business," Leo said stoically, fixing Brandon and Jazz with a stare as cold as ice.

"Boy, somebody's in a mood," Jazz observed.

"Jazz, your coming is completely unnecessary," he replied bluntly.

"Really? You're gonna do this to me right in front of everyone?" She was incredulous.

"You bet I am. You give me _one_ good reason why you should take this trip with us. You have a couple of minutes to change my mind."

The young woman's eyes darkened for an instant and Mike knew she was getting mad, but then her face strangely softened. "Because you guys are everything I have, and I want to be with you. These elohim aren't so bad, but _you're_ my family now. Are you gonna make me cry, Leo?"

From the way her face scrunched up, Mike believed she _was_ on the verge of tears.

"Jazz, that won't work on me," Leo said sternly.

"I knew it wouldn't," she said softly. "It's just that the thought of being in those cold, dark caves by myself, it sounds worse than prison, worse than not having my memory. If I have to stay back worrying over all of you, not having a clue what's going on, or anyone to commiserate with…well, it's gonna be really hard." Jazz's voice broke a little bit. "But I lived through prison, so I suppose a few sleepless nights of crying myself to death won't _necessarily_ kill me."

Leonardo closed his eyes briefly as he massaged the left side of his forehead. "Okay," he said vaguely.

"Okay, what?" Brandon asked.

"She can come," he said through clenched teeth.

"You mean it?" A small smile graced Jazz's face.

"As if I had any say in the matter to begin with?" Leo fumed. "You'd better not turn into another loose cannon."

"I'm cool, Leo; I won't go near the action," she promised.

"Yeah, sure," he replied sarcastically.

The shadow of the approaching ship made Michelangelo look up. The craft was bigger than he'd expected, but that wasn't disappointing.

Ghyath stretched out a hand toward Leonardo. "Come, my friend. Let us get settled and catch up on some much needed rest."

"Hey, I need some of that too!" Raphael followed the two of them.

Jazz smirked at Leonardo's retreating form. "That was way too easy."

Donatello grinned. "He's too tired to put up much of a fight, Jazz. You got lucky."

Brandon extended an arm around her. "That was a thing of beauty, Jazz."

"Maybe," she said. "But I like to think that most decent men have a soft spot for damsels in distress, and that goes double for _you_ guys." She nodded at Mike and Don. "Didn't all of you fall for a girl in trouble?"

Mike laughed. "I _created_ the trouble with my girl. You can't really say that for Karina either. _Raph_ was more of a damsel in distress in that scenario."

Brandon threw his head back as he laughed. "Lemme run that by him and see what _he_ has to say."

"Well, it's true," Mike said. "You know your sis, Bran. The first time she stumbled on us, she was anything but a shrinking violet. I think she would have actually fought me if she needed to."

Jazz shook her head. "I don't buy that I'm the only screamer to date."

"You're _not_ the only screamer," Donny assured her. "But you're the only one who stuck around."

She made a scoffing sound. "Like Greg gave me a choice? Between him and those crazy Akiudo, I was pretty much locked in."

"It worked out though, didn't it?" Brandon offered.

Jazz looked back at him. "Kinda, sorta. Maybe," she teased.

Donny rolled his eyes. "C'mon, guys. Let's all get on the ship before Leo has another chance to change his mind."


	72. Flying

When Raphael rolled over on the cot, he was surprised by the darkness that met him through the closest window. _Shell, did I really sleep that long? I sure didn't mean to. _In the dim light that illuminated the small cabin he noticed that his blue-masked brother was still sound asleep.

Raphael carefully untangled himself from a blanket and tried to move past Leonardo as quietly as possible. He was relieved when his brother didn't stir, which was a testament to just how tired the oldest turtle was.

He paused by the control pad for the hatch, scowling at the numbers before recalling that the door _wasn't_ locked. _Let's see. There's no combination or nothing, it's just supposed to be the one button…_Raphael searched silently for a few moments before remembering the right one.

The red-masked turtle found his way up the corridor from the back of the ship toward the main cabin. He smirked when he heard Mike's laughter from afar and shook his head. _I'll bet those elohim _still _don't know what to do with the Chucklehead._

When he entered the cabin, he found his orange-masked brother with his back to him, sprawled across the seat as if he owned the air ship. Raphael crept up behind him, shaking his head sharply at Donatello as his other brother made eye contact with him. Without warning he rammed his knee into the back of the seat so hard that Mike nearly tumbled to the floor.

"Hey! What gives, Raphy?"

"Just trying to keep you on your toes, Pipsqueak."

"It looks like you'd rather keep me _off _of them," Mike complained.

Brandon snorted. "It was pretty funny though."

Jazz chuckled. "It would have been better if he'd screamed again."

Raphael looked down at his youngest brother. "Are you losing your head in here, Mikey?"

Michelangelo grinned. "I was just having some fun with the elohim. It's so easy to freak them out."

The red-masked turtle flopped down in another seat. "_That_ explains why the four of you have got this cabin to yourselves. Did they all abandon ship?"

Don smiled. "Nah, they're just hiding."

Raphael glanced toward the windows. "What the shell is up, you guys? Did you let me sleep the day away and miss all the fun?"

Donny shook his head. "It's only been about five hours, Raph."

His eye ridges rose. "Then why's it so dark out there? It almost looks like sundown."

"We've had some massive clouds roll in, but there hasn't been any rain," Brandon replied.

"Is it supposed to storm? Figures it wouldn't look threatening out until we finally got on the road."

"Or in the air," Don corrected.

Raphael gave him an irritated glance. "You know what I meant, Brainiac. Are we gonna be in trouble?"

Donatello shrugged. "The elohim don't think it's going to do anything serious today. Apparently this type of weather phenomena happens every six or seven months or so. The clouds can stick around for weeks at a time. There can be electrical storms that include a lot of lightning but not much rain, or even something called a _quylija_, which sounded kind of like a sandstorm when they described it.

"It's almost as if the entire weather system in a holding pattern. The elohim are using their instruments to gauge the atmospheric pressure to help us determine if any storms are imminent. The pressure is high enough that they're fairly sure that we won't see anything come from these clouds today. There's a possibility that nothing will disperse from the system at all. It just depends on specific conditions in the atmosphere, and surface temperatures on the ground."

Raphael sent another look outside before gazing at Don again. "I think it's kinda freaky if you ask me."

No one else said anything right away, and the cabin lapsed into silence

Jazz was the first one to stir with a mighty sigh. "This doesn't feel right, does it? Everything is different this time."

"Not everything," Donatello said, looking around the circle. "We may be in over our heads, but we've still got our team here. Maybe it's not as big as we're used to, but we're in better shape than we were before."

Raphael laughed. "That don't take much, considering where we started, Genius." His smile faded as he focused on Jazz. "I know it'd be easy to get discouraged, Jazz, but that's like getting the cart before the horse. Expecting the worst doesn't help anybody."

The woman drew her legs up underneath her on the seat. "I know that it won't…and it isn't that I don't think you guys can pull this off. It's just a lonely feeling to be the only civilian this time. The worst is the last thing that I _want_ to think about."

Brandon stretched to take her hand. "We're not doing this alone, Jazz. Every step of this has been planned in the background by the elohim, even if we don't know completely what's going on."

Jazz locked gazes with Donny. "You can't control Central."

The purple-masked turtle shook his head. "We're never _really_ in control on a mission, Jazz. It's just an illusion. There are always unknown elements involved, even when you try to plan for everything. The only thing you can count on is that stuff is _going_ to go wrong. That's when we roll with the punches and adjust directions as necessary. We'll be okay. I have a good feeling about the guys helping me, and as for the other team…Well, it's in Leo's hands. Nothing to fear there," he finished lightly.

Mike laughed. "No, nothing to fear at all, as long as he gets rid of all his crankiness."

Raphael had the urge to whack his brother across the back of the head, but was distracted by shuffling footsteps behind them. He looked over his shoulder to see Bahri venturing into the cabin. The elohim mutely surveyed the turtles before selecting a seat.

"Is everything okay?" Donny asked.

"Yes," Bahri answered. "I've just learned from Shukri where Kamryn is being held. She has not been released from Central since returning either."

Donatello seemed to be holding his breath. "Is she all right?"

"She has not been harmed, Donatello. Yasir has been preparing a special battery of tests, but few of them have been carried out." The elohim hesitated. "You do still wish to free her, do you not?"

"I don't want to leave her behind, Bahri."

The elohim nodded. "We will have to make an adjustment, but I think that it can be done. We received information about the Ruairi too."

Raphael's head jerked at the mention of the aliens. "What about 'em?"

"The Overlords only overcame the one ship, and managed to take twelve prisoners in addition to recovering Kamryn. Achaz is among them. They are slated for execution by means of the Matches."

The red-masked turtle scowled. "I guess they're feeling a little sorry now, huh? They never should have left us or tried to kill _you_ guys."

"No, it was wrong…but…"

"But what?" Brandon inserted.

"If we could…nothing," Bahri said, appearing to change his mind.

Raphael's amber eyes narrowed. "It doesn't sound like nothing, Bahri. Why don't you tell us what you wanna say?"

"I feel some responsibility for them," the elohim said quietly.

Raphael sat up at once. "Are you _crazy_? They tried to kill you! Why are you wasting two seconds of guilt over them?"

Bahri looked at the floor. "None of us are innocent, Raphael. As part of the elohim collective we have been willing participants and bystanders to more deaths than you can imagine. The Ruairi did not respond to us that way in the wilderness out of spite. They wanted us dead because they did not trust that we could be faithful to them."

"So they get a free pass to do whatever the shell they want, is that it?" Raphael demanded.

"That is not my point, Raphael."

"Then what is the point?"

"Leonardo told me that you all value life," Bahri said. "The Nalikjan feel the same way. The idea of the Ruairi being executed disturbs me, regardless of what they did to us. I expected them to be caught, but now that it comes to this…my spirit is unsettled."

Raphael rolled his eyes. "They don't deserve our help, Bahri, and you know it."

"We do not deserve El's help either, but He has remained faithful and provided for us through everything. We have been shown more mercy than you can comprehend."

"Bahri. You're off your rocker," he said bluntly.

* * *

><p>The wilderness outside their windows only grew darker with passing hours, but Raphael knew that was bound to happen with the dimming light. They were within a few miles of Arcadia before both Leonardo and Ghyath emerged at the same time, leaving the red-masked turtle to wonder how long they'd been chatting it up in the back. <em>Sure wish I could have been in on that conversation.<em>

"How y' doing, Leo?" Raphael asked.

"I feel fine," his older brother replied. "I definitely needed that though."

Michelangelo snickered. "No kidding. If you'd stayed up any longer—"

Raphael cut the youngest turtle off with the swat he deserved from earlier. "No more jokes about Leo's sleep deprivation. Let's move on, huh?"

Leonardo gave him a half grin as he settled into a seat, and then turned to Bahri. "So where are we going to end up tonight?"

"We have a friend who lives within a four mile radius of both Central and the cell block in question which is serving as the decoy," Bahri replied. "We will take refuge with him."

Raphael crossed his arms. "And no one's gonna catch us hanging out?"

"I find it unlikely, unless we do something unusual to draw attention to ourselves. He inhabits the entire top floor, so if we stay in that vicinity of the building, we should avoid notice."

"And no cameras?" Donny asked.

Ghyath shook his head. "Not everything is under surveillance that way. Central is one of the only places that is so tightly controlled. In other areas the Overlords are a little more lax. I believe they have much vulnerability they are not even aware of."

"At least that's what we're counting on," Leo murmured.

Bahri edged forward in his seat. "We have time to figure things out. We need to make some adjustments for Kamryn, and there is also the possibility of the weather to consider."

Donny exhaled. "Do you foresee it being a problem?"

"Anything could happen in the next couple of days. It is difficult to predict how much something like that could hinder our chances for success," Bahri said.

Leonardo's brow creased. "I was thinking that it could work to our advantage, but then, I don't know anything about these storms."

"I do not see it as an advantage," Bahri negated. "Even if the Overlords are hampered by the weather, we would be facing the same conditions."

"Okay, so let's forget about that for a minute," Leo allowed. "Have you conversed with all your contacts today?"

Bahri nodded. "Two dozen connections, with a couple of more to make before the night is over. Some of them are harder to speak with at length than others, because of their proximity to Central. Yasir's assistant Shukri is one of the most crucial allies that we have, but he is also one who must be the most careful."

Ghyath cleared his throat. "We do not expect Yasir to allow myself or the other contact assisting us as 'bounty hunter' to enter the Lab itself. It seems that is the natural location where Yasir will want to take Donatello first. We need Shukri to get into that room with him, because once that door closes, he will be the only one who can help Donatello."

Raphael's heart skipped a beat as he shot Donny a suspicious look. "You didn't mention that part."

The purple-masked turtle flinched. "We're going to make it work, Raph. I'm not walking out of there without Jenna again. It won't happen."

"I know that you're determined, Donny, but that won't mean anything if Yasir slaps one of those energy binders on you!" he retorted.

Ghyath laughed. "Donatello will already be wearing one when we arrive at Central."

"We have a device which is an exact replica of an energy binder, with our own modifications," Bahri explained.

"Raphael, I will _not _allow Yasir to imprison your brother," Ghyath said firmly. "I will die before I let that happen. I cannot guarantee what we will face when we arrive, but your brother is not the only one who is determined."

Raphael held the elohim's golden gaze for a long moment. "You'd better be, Ghyath." _You won't want to deal with me if you lose my brother in there._


	73. Deserving

Michelangelo pressed his forehead against the glass pane of a floor-to-ceiling window, staring around at the lights of Arcadia. From inside the high rise building the alien city reminded him a little of Manhattan, but only because it was too dark to make out any real details of the street below.

"Mike, would you come away from there please?" Leo requested.

Mike shrugged as he spun on his heel. "I thought that no one was going to see us here."

"That doesn't mean that you should be practically hanging out the window, Shellhead." Raphael snorted.

"It's not open," Mike said defensively, some irritation rising. _They're just being paranoid, _he reminded himself. _There's a lot of danger out there. _He sighed as he squashed the negative feeling, and plunked down on a cushioned seat by his brothers. "Okay, I'm here. What are we talking about?"

Mike's eyes lingered on their host, Alcinius, who'd been introduced to them as Ghyath's former Commander. The broad-armed elohim with piercing silver irises had startled the turtles when he appeared on the roof of the building from out of nowhere, and it had taken a lot of reassurance from Bahri and Ghyath to put them at ease again.

As it turned out, Alcinius _still_ held a high-ranking position in the military, just a handful of steps underneath the Altus. Mike snickered at the memory of Abeiron's strange title. _The Altus. It makes him sound like some breed of rare animal. _His chuckle was cut short by Leonardo's sharp glance.

"We aren't talking about anything, 'cause I'm not listening to any more of this nonsense about the Ruairi," Raphael said, shooting Leonardo a dark look. "How can you agree with sticking our necks out for them?"

"Partially because they're our enemies' _enemies_," Leo reminded him. "And also because I know that the Overlords' don't play fair, and I think the Ruairi should have a fighting chance to defend themselves."

"Leo, the _Ruairi_ don't play fair!" the red-masked turtle exploded. "Is everyone else blocking out the memory of what they did? Am I the only one who still wants to knock their teeth out?"

"I remember, Raph," the oldest turtle said patiently. "They didn't play fair, but they also didn't kill us. The Ruairi could have done anything that they pleased with us, but they not only allowed us to live, they left supplies behind."

Raphael glared at Ghyath, who'd been completely silent on the matter to that point. "C'mon. I know you have to side with me deep down. They tried to kill you. If Bahri didn't have that antidote, they _would_ have."

"So that is grounds for them all to be executed?" Ghyath asked quietly.

"It's grounds for them not to be our problem!" Raphael insisted.

The golden-eyed elohim shook his head. "If the Ruairi are worthy of death, how much more am I?" Ghyath got to his feet and left the circle, ignoring the several pairs of eyes that followed him.

"What'd he mean by that?" Donatello asked Bahri.

"He meant that we are _all_ tainted," Bahri answered. "You must understand, terrapins. If we cannot forgive, we cannot move on." He turned to Leonardo. "I wish to speak with a couple more local sources to see if there is anything that can be done for the Ruairi. Are you willing to go along with a plan that would involve freeing them too?"

Leonardo cast a cursory glance over his brothers before responding. "Research it, Bahri, and let me know how difficult it would be to pull off. I don't want to do anything that would put Don or Jen in further jeopardy."

The blue-eyed elohim nodded swiftly, glancing at Alcinius. "I will be working late it appears. I hope that you do not mind."

"Not at all, Bahri. Please make yourself comfortable," Alcinius told him, and fixed on the turtles as the other elohim left. "I have rooms available for when you would all like to rest."

"I think we'll probably be up for a while," Leo returned. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'm sure we'll be at right at home."

"Yeah, dude, you've got a nice place here," Mike remarked.

The elohim smiled faintly. "One of the advantages of working for the devil. I have just about had my fill of it. This mission will also be my farewell to this lifestyle."

Leonardo nodded understandingly. "You're not just hosting us then."

"No – I thought you knew," Alcinius replied. "Ghyath and I have worked side-by-side in the past, and we will be a team assisting your brother inside Central as well."

"The elohim don't believe in sharing all of the details up front," Raphael said sarcastically.

"Then we have one more reason to be grateful to you," Leonardo said evenly.

Alcinius sighed. "I knew the time for evacuation would come, sooner or later. It is an extremely difficult thing to work this closely with the 'Exalted' Altus himself. He desires more and more attention with the passing days, and already demands constant worship from slaves. I sense that he will one day require the same of his own kind, and that would have been the death of me. I would sooner throw myself off of this building head-first than bow down to him."

"So you're coming back to Zokcimel with us?" Mike asked.

"That is the plan," the elohim affirmed. "It is an honor to meet you, terrapins, after hearing so many things about you. It will be an honor to fight with you too."

Raphael smirked. "_Now_ you're talking."

Leonardo looked in the direction that Ghyath had retreated. "Is Ghyath going to be all right?"

Alcinius sighed deeply. "Our past is not a pleasant subject. It is a weight that we may have to carry until the day we die, but there is still hope."

"How can you talk about carrying this burden and hope in the same sentence?" Don asked.

"Because El _has_ forgiven us, Donatello. The burden does not come from Him, but our own difficulty in living with the things we took part in. One day we will be truly wiped clean."

"So you can forgive others, just not yourselves?" Raphael wondered.

"It is harder than it sounds, Raphael, but El has been patient with us. I would trade everything that I own, yes even my life, for a clear conscience. Joshua says that it can already be ours, but many of us are not able to receive it. Not because El is unwilling, but because _we_ have not been willing. It is true that—" Alcinius cut off suddenly as his crystal shimmered, and he gazed hard at the surface for a few seconds. "Terrapins, forgive me. I am going to have to take this uplink."

Once the elohim had excused himself, Raphael fixed Leonardo with another hard look. "What's with your change of heart over the Ruairi?"

"It's not really a change of heart," Leo said. "And we're not here expressly to support the Ruairi. If Bahri can find a way in for us, I'm willing to consider turning them loose – but no more. They're on their own after that."

"No more, Fearless? Are you kidding me? You could at least let me kick the crap outta a few of them first."

"That's not why we're here," Leonardo insisted. "We have a job to do, and I don't want anything to interfere with it. We're taking enough of a risk as it is."

"That's what _I'm_ saying, Bro!" Raphael emphasized.

Leonardo hesitated for an instant. "Raph…I would rather take the opportunity to give someone mercy that they _don't_ deserve, than spend the rest of my life wondering if I should have done something. I don't want to talk about the Ruairi anymore," he closed decisively.

Raphael shut his mouth, and the blue-masked turtle extended a hand to Donny's shoulder.

"It sounds like you're going to have a couple of great guys to back you up, Don," Leo told him.

Donatello nodded without saying anything. Mike studied his purple-masked brother, reaching for the emotional state that was buried underneath the surface of his even façade. He knew that Donny was harboring some fear, but his resolve seemed as strong as ever. Michelangelo regretted mentioning the idea for the 200th time, mentally cursing himself that his brother was in this position. _I've gotta learn to keep my mouth shut. It's not like I'm some great military genius. Why'd I have to say anything at all?_

Donny reached for a water-flask on the table beside him and took a couple of sips before looking around at the others. "I know that all of you are concerned about what I'm about to do, but you need to concentrate on yourselves too."

"We have options, Don," Leonardo assured him. "It may appear to be the usual suicide, but we have several back doors to escape through. Redirection is the name of the game."

"That doesn't make it any less dangerous," Don pointed out. "Just remember that I expect all of _you _to come back too."

Michelangelo nodded, suddenly feeling more overwhelmed. Before a mission started he usually felt energized and ready to take on the world, but there was a very different atmosphere to face this time. _We still don't know as much about these elohim as we should, and we're gonna be short Donny. How can I be excited over something like that?_

Mike glanced at Raphael and noticed that his brother appeared to be spacing out. "Earth to Raphy," he called.

Amber eyes flicked over to him. "Can we not talk about home right now?"

"Sorry, Raph, I wasn't really trying to," he replied ruefully.

"Doesn't mean I'm not thinking about it," the red-masked turtle said sullenly.

The circle was quiet for a few moments.

"We've all been waiting for this," Leonardo finally said. "We're about to recover our missing piece. No one knows what's going to happen next, but I like to think that this is one step closer toward getting home."

"You say that, Leo, but I don't know if you believe it," Raphael said honestly. "We're all being real with each other, right? We're kind of up a creek without a paddle."

"Who needs a paddle when you've got your family?" Mike offered.

"Listen." Leonardo's voice took on his serious tone. "Everything in the universe might be stacked against us getting home. But we've come this far. We've heard things from Joshua that gives me confidence that there's something _else_ at work here, something beyond us and our abilities. Maybe we'll get home, and maybe we won't; but I don't want to go down assuming that there's no hope. From this moment on I'm expecting to get back to Earth, until something proves me wrong."

Mike smiled suddenly. "It's like a new twist on innocent until proven guilty. We're going home until we've got no other options."

Raphael grunted under his breath. "Anyone who tries to stop us is gonna have hell to pay in return."

Leonardo smiled grimly. "Exactly. Let's stop acting like the battle has already been fought and lost. We haven't even begun to fight."

"Nope, but we're about to. Hopefully we'll teach the Overlords that it isn't safe to hijack random mutants just for the heck of it," Donny said determinedly.

Raphael clapped the purple-masked turtle on the shell. "You give Yasir a taste of his own medicine, Donny. That's one guy who's _got _to go down."

"He will if I have anything to do with it," Don retorted.

The sound of footsteps invaded Mike's ears, and he looked over his shoulder to see Bahri rapidly coming.

"I believe that we may have an opening," the elohim said.

"That was fast," Raphael commented. "Figures you'd come up with something to rescue _them_ that quickly."

The elohim didn't focus on Raphael, but fixated on Leonardo instead. "There is already a written summons in the system for the Ruairi to be brought from the cell block to the Arena where the Matches will take place. The Altus himself has authorized it, though he has yet to release the orders."

"How does that help us?" Donatello asked.

"A technician could choose to send the summons early, at a time of his own bidding. The Ruairi would then be transported to the Arena for holding until they are ready for their individual Match."

"Oh…I see." Leonardo nodded. "You want to steal them in transit."

"Not so much 'steal' them as simply set them free," Bahri replied. "And if they were to create a little more madness in the background for our mission and attract some attention, then so be it."

Mike grinned. "Bahri, are you _strategizing_?"

"It is something that I could perhaps get used to."

"Well…it would help if their pilot was in on it," Leonardo allowed. "Do you think you can pull that off?"

"I can get an ally on board, one way or another. I am going to work on this some more."

Raphael shook his head as Bahri scurried off. "Nice going, Leo. I think you've created a monster."


	74. Mercy

Donatello took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Roughly 36 hours had passed since they'd arrived in Arcadia, and the hour he'd anticipated had finally arrived, even if things weren't kicking off the way he'd pictured them. He was no more thrilled at the prospect of freeing the Ruairi than Raphael, but the red-masked turtle had already objected enough for all of them combined.

Now Donny was sitting in the semi-darkness of the empty "garage" unit with his brothers, Brandon and a couple more key elohim, waiting for the vessel that was going to serve as the catalyst for his _own_ part in the mission. No one spoke, but the tension inside of the building was so strong, Donatello could feel it in the air.

When Bahri reached for his crystal, Donatello followed him out of the corner of his eye. "Less than a quarter of a mile," he said.

The purple-masked turtle's heart beat a little faster as he sought out Ghyath. "When it's our turn, you _have_ to make it look real, Ghyath. I mean it."

"I am not sure if I can convincingly attack you, Donatello."

"It's not that complicated," he insisted. "You chase me: you catch me. Don't overthink it, and don't worry about breaking me. I'm not going to shatter like glass – I can handle some abuse."

Ghyath nodded, but Donny could tell that the elohim was still hesitant. _Shell, he can't act like he doesn't want to hurt me or we'll never pull this off convincingly._

When a couple more minutes had passed, Bahri spoke up again. "The pilot is just around the corner, and he already has his 'partner' in the front contained. We have two sentries in the back to deal with."

Everyone flattened against opposing sides of the unit as the main door began to open, and a land cruiser pulled inside. As the door closed once more, the pilot immediately jumped out of the front.

"I unlocked the back," the elohim informed them. "The sentries are armed."

"So are we," Raphael muttered.

Leonardo reached for the key-pad to activate the hatch, and found two confused-looking Overlords waiting inside. One of them called something unintelligible into the dim interior of the garage, right as the blue-masked turtle grabbed the alien by the leg and yanked him out of the cruiser.

Without a sound Raphael went after the second one, capturing him by the wrist before he'd had a chance to draw his gun. Donatello winced at the sound of the blow the red-masked turtle delivered, grateful once more not to be on the receiving end of his brother's punishment.

Donny wasn't able to stand the suspense anymore, and climbed into the back of the cruiser right after Leonardo. In the overhead light of the craft he saw the manacled figures of the Ruairi and noted their stunned expressions.

Donatello was struck with such a sudden flash of rage over what they'd done to them and _tried_ to do with Kamryn that he couldn't speak. The purple-masked turtle clenched his jaw angrily and had to take a couple of steps backwards, trusting himself to go no closer.

"_Terrapins_?" Achaz's shaky voice was the first thing to break the silence. "What are you doing here?"

"Honestly? I don't know," Leo said sharply. "Common sense says to let you burn, and yet, here we are."

"But how?"

"By working together as a team, Achaz; the same thing that we tried to do with you," Leo answered. "Now quit gaping and no more stupid questions, because we don't have much time."

There was stiffness in every motion the blue-masked turtle made, as though he had to force himself to approach the Ruairi leader. Leonardo took one look at the energy binder on Achaz's arm, and turned to look over his shoulder. "I need a crystal in here!"

Donny moved to the side as both Bahri and Ghyath climbed onboard the cruiser, and he smirked at the renewed shock in the Ruairis' eyes. Achaz had no words this time; only an empty stare as the blue-eyed elohim used his crystal to break the energy binder open. The Ruairi stared after Bahri and Ghyath in astonishment as they picked up speed to help free the others.

"I do not…I…" was the most Achaz could manage.

"Just in case you're tempted to thank someone, you're already looking at the right parties," Leo said tersely. "The elohim are the ones who headed up the effort to find you."

None of the captives moved even after they'd been set free, like they were still trapped under some spell of disbelief.

"Everybody listen up," Leonardo announced. "From here, you're on your own. We're not giving you a ride out of town. We're not telling you what to do next. You're going to have to make it by yourselves, because that's what you chose. Don't follow us – don't try to find us. Now get off the ship."

The Ruairi slowly filed off the craft, but Achaz hesitated behind Bahri. "I do not know what to say to you," he told the elohim.

"You do not _need _to say anything, Achaz. We forgave you. Take your men and go," Bahri finished forcefully.

"You are not…you are more than I thought you were," Achaz said softly.

Ghyath crossed his arms. "Just _go_."

* * *

><p>Donatello was waiting in the pilot's seat, one hand gripping the open door. "Okay," he said evenly, gazing across at his brothers and Brandon. "This is it. I'll see you guys later."<p>

"Sure you can drive that thing?" Raphael asked.

"All I need to do is back it up. Ghyath and Alcinius are going to 'catch' me before I have to go anywhere."

Leonardo exhaled deeply. "All right. We'll see you later," he agreed. "Go get your girl."

"And don't forget to get yourself out too," Mike reminded him.

Donny nodded. "I'll be okay. You guys be careful too." He glanced at the crystal display, and saw that the garage door was opening behind him. "I gotta go. Bye, guys."

With a small wave he shut the hatch, leaving him on his own inside the cruiser. He took a soft breath while he slowly inched the land cruiser backwards as he'd been trained, and made another careful turn to get back onto the street. From there, all he could do was wait. Donatello couldn't make another move until he received the signal.

The surrounding street was dark, with no outward signs of life besides the faint lights that remained in some of the buildings nearby. _But this neighborhood is about to be disrupted, _he told himself. His heart raced as he sat in silence, anticipating the move to draw attention. Donny looked in every direction, constantly searching for another person, but saw no one.

Even though he thought he was prepared for it, Donatello jumped at the small explosion that rocked the ground behind the cruiser. After getting over the momentary surprise, he instantly opened the driver's side hatch and leaped to the ground. He grinned as he saw more lights coming on, and waited another moment before making his dash. _I've got to give the public the show they deserve. Geesh, that sounds so much like Mikey._

Donatello chuckled when he saw movement coming from a couple of the buildings. _Right – here goes nothing. _The purple-masked turtle darted down the street, running dead-center so that anyone looking would _have_ to see him.

Donny heard footsteps pursuing him within seconds, and knew Ghyath was on his tail. He didn't run as fast as he _could_ have; there was no reason to waste the energy. He felt the wind of the elohim bearing down on him right before Ghyath caught him around the knees.

The elohim jerked him to the ground so hard that the turtle accidentally banged his temple. Donny's head protested slightly as Ghyath flattened him and bent lower to the ground.

"Are you all right?" the elohim whispered.

"You're not supposed to care," he hissed back. "Is anyone watching?"

"Yes – and they are coming closer."

"Make it real, Ghyath."

"I am _trying_ to."

"Stop trying and _do_ it," Don replied, managing to land a hard elbow drive into the elohim's gut.

Ghyath staggered a couple of feet as the turtle rolled back over, but Donny didn't have time to attempt getting up before the elohim's leg came down on his plastron.

"I am not going to hurt you any more than necessary, my friend," Ghyath said softly, aiming his weapon.

Donatello was secretly relieved by the move, nodding once before his "assailant" fired a shot at his chest, and everything went dark.

* * *

><p>The purple-masked turtle felt life returning to his limbs, but quickly discovered that he couldn't move anything as he stirred awake.<p>

"It's all right," a familiar deep voice told him.

Donny opened his eyes and turned his head toward Alcinius. The open gash on his forehead stung with the movement, and he could feel that he was still bleeding. "Where are we?"

"In the back of my ship, about to dock at Central," Alcinius replied. "Ghyath only used a short-acting stun on you."

"I _wanted_ him to keep it real," Don murmured. "You didn't try to treat anything, right?"

"No. I thought it would be better for show."

"I agree. Maybe it's better for me to still be out too."

"I concur, terrapin."

"All right, so I'm going to be dead weight, for better or worse. Does Yasir know we're coming?"

Alcinius nodded gravely. "I alerted him. We are to take you to him straight away."

Donatello exhaled. "Is my energy binder on?"

"Yes. We are all set, and we are here to assist you, Donatello."

"Thank you," he breathed.

Alcinius glanced toward a window as the ship began descending. "Do not forget your role."

"It's not hard to play someone unconscious, Alcinius. I've practiced for this my entire life."

The elohim laughed. "I believe you. Now it is time to play dead, terrapin."

The purple-masked turtle snorted as he laid his head back down. _Please let this work. We have to _make_ this work, or I can't imagine getting another shot at it. Jenna had _better_ be okay, _he finished angrily.

Don kept his eyes shut when the ship landed and didn't stir even when he heard the hatch open. There was an explosion of rapid-fire speech that the turtle couldn't understand, and he recognized a particular voice with distaste. Yasir. _What I wouldn't give to jump off this seat and throttle him with my bare hands…if I wasn't bound that is. Everything has to _look_ real._

The indecipherable speech came closer, and Donatello felt himself being lifted. He remained limp in the arms of the individuals carrying him off the ship, though he recognized Ghyath and Alcinius from their voices. Letting his head flop whatever direction it chose was the hardest part, but he was determined not to reveal his true state.

Throughout the journey into the facility, Donatello was irritated to hear nothing but the elohims' language. There was no way for him to tell what was going on. _I'm _really_ having to trust the elohim now. _It was an exercise in sheer willpower to stay lifeless, but he was comforted by still having his friends near. It was when they were joined by _more_ strange voices that he began to get more nervous.

The walk from the transporter into the heart of Central's underground bunker seemed to take forever, and his head was throbbing more than ever by the time the processional was slowing down.

"_Nesik yadsi, Beilyl_," (With honor, Doctor), he heard Alcinius say. Those were three words Donatello had heard enough times during his last stay in Central to never forget them.

The turtle swallowed inwardly as he heard the sound of a heavier door closing. The only chatter he detected now came from voices he _didn't_ recognize. _I'm in. I have to be in, and that means I'm on my own until Shukri gets here. I hope he doesn't take too long._

Another sentence that seemed like a command from Yasir had his two new captors carrying him down a flight of stairs, further confirming that they were inside the Lab. Don held his breath as he was set down on another surface that he recognized: a flat table that he'd spent a good amount of time chained to on his last visit.

Yasir's voice was directly over him, and he felt someone lightly fingering his head, turning it so they could probe his small injury. _I guess now is as good a time as any. _Donatello flinched, pretending to stir.

Yasir said something sharply to his associates, and then Donatello could feel his hot breath once more. "Oh, Donatello," he called mockingly.

_I'm going to hurt you so much._

The turtle blinked, groaning as though he was in more serious pain than he was.

"Hello, old friend," Yasir greeted him. "Somehow I _knew_ that I would be seeing you again."

Don gave him a sullen look, refusing to speak.

"It seems you had a busy night planned, hm?" Yasir asked. "Attempting to steal a cruiser, for what purpose, I wonder?"

When he still said nothing, the Overlord smiled.

"I can only think that you came back for the precious woman that you left behind before."

The turtle bared his teeth with a growl.

"You wanted to be reunited with her, terrapin, and now you have done it." Yasir jerked his head around so Donatello would see other side of the room.

Don didn't _have_ to fake an appropriate expression. His eyes went wide the moment he saw the raven-haired woman sitting up across from him. Her light blue eyes were open but her gaze was utterly vacant. He was instantly awestruck by her belly that had grown in his absence, proof of the lives growing inside of her.

"She has become something of a prize to me, Donatello," Yasir said. "I do not let her out of my sight. As for the rest of your pathetic team out there, I have a feeling we will be catching up with them tonight too."

"You have nothing on them," Donatello said disdainfully.

"Oh no?" Yasir's smile widened. "Why only this evening I received information on a number of traitors in our midst, poised to surround cell block 698." The Overlord chuckled for effect. "I am afraid your brothers will have less assistance than they were counting on. Yes, we will all be together soon."


	75. Diversion

Bahri was more nervous _now_ than he'd felt the first time that they'd broken inside Central. The cell block was looming overhead like a giant death trap, and suddenly it was all the elohim could do to pick his feet to follow the blue-masked terrapin. He was more than happy to allow Leonardo to be in charge of their movement.

Bahri had been strongly advised against accompanying them this time since that the terrapins knew he was not a warrior, but he felt a responsibility to be their inside connection to the network of the Nalikjan who were helping them.

The elohim watched with interest as Leonardo began scaling the side of the building, without the use of any climbing equipment. _The way he climbs, it is hard to believe that they do not share some kind of DNA with primates. It does not feel appropriate to ask them. _He waited to see how far the terrapin would climb, then looked above him to try and calculate the number of floors between them and their destination.

The blue-masked terrapin disappeared over a ledge for a few moments, but then returned to hurl down a pair of cables. Raphael and Michelangelo had already begun ascending in the same fashion as their older brother, while Bahri and Brandon prepared to use the more traditional route.

Bahri didn't have a great deal of difficulty using the cable to support his own weight, but he quickly realized that the human appeared to be pacing himself to stay near him. "You have done this with them a few times?" he suggested.

Brandon grinned. "Oh, here and there. Are you doing okay?"

The elohim nodded. "Yes – I am all right. Or I _will_ be when this evening is over."

"That or we'll all be one happy family under lock-up," the man said glibly.

"Don't you jinx us, Bran!" the red-masked terrapin called. "Shell, _why_ do we keep dragging your sorry butt along on these missions?"

"Because you never have as much fun without me," Brandon retorted.

"Only if keeping you outta trouble is the new definition of fun," Raphael told him.

As Bahri climbed onto a ledge after Brandon, the man reached to grab his sleeve to assist him. "Is he angry that you are here?" he whispered, hoping the terrapin wouldn't pick it up.

"Raph? Nah. That's how he shows love."

The elohim shook his head. "All of you still manage to thoroughly confuse me."

Bahri jumped when Raphael suddenly hung over the ledge above them, suspended in mid-air upside-down for a couple of seconds before flipping to join them.

"That's because none of _you_ know how to have real fun," the terrapin said. "Hang around us long enough and maybe you'll see it."

"Do I have to hang the way you did?" Bahri asked with a chuckle.

"Now y'see? You're starting to get it, Bahri."

When Raphael's arm thudded over his shoulder, the elohim was embarrassed to lose his balance.

"Hey," Leonardo hissed from above them. "We still have a little further to go. C'mon, you guys!"

"Fearless leader has spoken." Raphael smirked.

Bahri found a smile too. The red-masked terrapin's familiar expression was nowhere near as unsettling as it had been when they first met. _He speaks much of violence, and there is little doubt that he is capable of carrying it out…But Raphael seems no more interested in harming someone without reason than the rest of them. Yet I do not understand how they can all sound so relaxed, even as we prepare to tempt the forces of Arcadia to chase us. They are the experienced ones, I suppose._

Brandon started climbing again, and Bahri took that as his signal to follow. The elohim had a lot of faith in the planted technicians who were present in the nearest energy sub-station, and their ability to interfere with the cell block's surveillance system. _With the level of ionic charge in the atmosphere, it would not be unheard of for parts of the Crystal Network to go down either._

Bahri had been watching the atmospheric pressure levels all day, and seen nothing to indicate any storms blowing up that evening on them. _I expect that will mean another quiet, albeit dark night, but these things cannot always be predicted. _The elohim paused in his climb to stare at the clouds that were racing by above them. _No matter what happens with the weather now, it cannot be helped. The mission has already begun, and we cannot leave off here and come in tomorrow, not with Donatello inside Central._

Bahri's heart skipped a beat as he considered the dangerous position of the terrapin in addition to Ghyath and Alcinius. _I still do not like this. I wish that we could have had another option, rather than putting them all at such tremendous risk. _Brandon was already ahead of him, and Bahri's progress was hampered further as he was weighed down by powerful anxiety.

Apparently the man noticed too. "Bahri, are you all right?"

"I am coming," he reassured him.

The elohim sped up, hurrying to search for footholds to help in the climb rather than taking the time to be more precise. The sight of the next ledge within his reach spurred him to move faster. He gripped the edge of the stone the way he'd seen Brandon do a few moments before, but the instant he tried to pull himself up, his other hand lost the grip on the line as the cable slid through his fingers. With a gasp he tried to hold onto the ledge with his free hand, and was startled when the human caught his arm strongly.

"C'mon – it's all right!" Brandon urged him. "Find support for your legs and give me some help. I won't let go!"

Bahri gratefully had time to search for another foothold, and then climbed over the edge with the man's help. "You are _strong_, human. I must continue to remind myself that I am not really one of you."

Brandon laughed. "We're not all part ninja, Bahri; not even me."

Leonardo was at their side a moment later. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," the elohim said breathlessly. "I am sorry for slowing you down."

The blue-masked terrapin shook his head. "I warned you that this was going to be difficult, Bahri. But you're okay. We're all here now, aren't we?"

_Barely, _he thought morosely. "_Are_ we in fact here?"

The terrapin leaned toward the closest window, tapping against the glass. "Level 22, right? Isn't that the symbol you showed me?"

Bahri focused on the large luminescent label etched into the door on the other side of the glass. He wasn't sure why the technicians had selected _this_ floor out of all of the levels, but it was the right one. The elohim was more concerned with being able to escape once the diversionary ruckus had been created.

"Now what?" Raphael asked, resting his hand against the glass surface. "This don't feel like a normal window."

"It is not," Bahri told him. "The glass is much thicker, but Leonardo's katana will deal with it nicely. The Arsiterite is very effective."

The blue-masked terrapin drew one of his blades which Bahri knew many of the elohim already held in high esteem. _I wonder if they will ever have an equal? Probably not._

Leonardo carved a wide outline with the honed edge of his weapon, and then tested the indent with his free hand. The piece tipped inward so quickly that the terrapin almost had to dive to catch it. As he entered the room, Bahri noticed that Leonardo kept his blade drawn, and Raphael's hands were already hovering close to the dirks. _I pity anyone that we find up here. They are likely to meet a swift end._

The elohim double-checked the gun on his belt, but didn't draw it yet. _I am not here to shoot someone, but to serve as support as the terrapins need it. _Bahri blinked rapidly as they crossed out of the room into a passageway. A strong sense of unreality was suddenly gripping him, and he had a hard time grasping that he was actually taking part in something of this magnitude.

_How did I get her? I never pictured myself doing anything quite like this. The farther we go, the more I wish I had listened to the terrapins. I _am_ much more of a liability than an asset where they are concerned. _He had heard Raphael using the terminology to describe the elohim to Michelangelo earlier that day, but Bahri had chosen not to say anything about it.

_It will be okay. We will get through this, and in the future I will not try to act outside the means of my true ability. This is not where I belong._

"Bahri?" Leonardo's voice broke him out of thought. "Are you going to communicate with your people?"

The elohim jerked as he was reminded of what he _should_ have been doing. "Oh, yes. Of course."

Bahri cleared his throat as he withdrew his link and summoned one of the technicians from the small sub-station nearby. "_We are in_," he informed his contact. "_Can you verify that we have not been detected to this point?"_

There was a beat of silence on the other end. _"We had the angles outside crippled, and I redirected the entire feed from the 22__nd__ level so that only I can see you," _the technician replied.

Bahri's eyebrows rose. _"How did you accomplish _that_?"_

_"That is the Directors' floor for leisure," _he replied with amusement. _"The setting is already built in for privacy, and I merely took advantage of it. You are ready to proceed?"_

_"We are going forward," _Bahri answered. _"If you see anything that we need to know about, please do not hesitate to inform me."_

_"We are watching, Bahri. May the grace of El protect you."_

_"And you, brother. I hope you have planned your own evacuation."_

_"We have a plan, but whether or not it is carried out is not the most important thing."_

_"Do not give up your own life so easily," _Bahri chided. _"Take escape when it can be afforded."_

_"Once the mission is complete," _the tech agreed. "_I should go now."_

_"Thank you, brother," _Bahri said faintly.

He had only just finished lowering his link when a door hissed open from his left, and someone's hand caught his arm from behind to hurl him backwards. Bahri stumbled and then gasped as Michelangelo leaped over his shoulder, sending a flying kick into the first Overlord to make it through the door. The lone "brave" soul went down hard, but the sentry was _not _alone. Bahri scrambled backwards farther as the hallway filled with a few more enemies, before remembering his gun.

Without hesitation he raised the weapon, surprised by how much easier it was to go for the gun when it was really needed. Bahri fired where he could get clear shots, careful not to unleash anything close enough to mistakenly strike one of the terrapin warriors. He heard the discharge of another weapon to his right and nearly panicked before realizing that it was Brandon.

"I thought they couldn't see us!" the man asserted. "You've got to find out what's going on, Bahri!"

"I do not think I _can_ at the moment! Let us diffuse one situation at a time, Brandon!"

Bahri's heart nearly stopped as he watched an enemy direct a barrel on Michelangelo, but a katana found its way through the Overlord's midsection before the elohim could even lay down cover fire for the orange-masked terrapin.

In the blink of an eye there were several figures laid out on the floor of the hallway, and Bahri knew that some of them were definitely deceased. He couldn't be certain what had gone wrong in the brief span of time that the level had gone to hell, but none of the terrapins appeared to be worse for wear.

"Move!" Leonardo ordered, darting toward Bahri. "What happened? I thought we were supposed to be clear on this floor."

"The tech assured me that the visuals had been re-routed, Leonardo! I do not know what is going on, but I will try to get him back. In the worst case scenario, we have someone in position to cut the power entirely!"

"Can you run and talk at the same time?" the blue-masked terrapin asked soberly.

"Yes, I can. Are we going to backtrack where we came in?"

Leonardo shook his head. "No – they'll expect that if there are more nearby. We need a new exit point, but we also need to know where it's safe to go! Get on your link, Bahri!"

The elohim fumbled for the device, sending an immediate hail to the young technician he'd only just spoken to. He didn't receive a reply, and he waited for several seconds before trying again. They'd run to the end of the long hallway, and Leonardo reached out to him again.

"What's happening?" the terrapin demanded.

"He is not answering me, Leonardo. I think that something is wrong!"

"No kidding!" Raphael barked. "What was your first clue? If everything is falling apart, then I vote for abandoning ship!"

Without warning, the overhead lights cut out.

Mike cleared his throat in the sudden darkness. "Can I second that?"

Leonardo's small light clicked on, and he headed for the closest door. "What does this say, Bahri?" He motioned to the characters on a placard.

"That is an exit door which leads to a transporter."

"No power means no elevator," Brandon remarked.

"We can't afford to get trapped on one anyway," Leonardo said shortly, drawing both blades. The blue-masked terrapin focused on a large window providing a side-view of the cityscape, and carved an impressive pattern through the glass in a matter of seconds.

Bahri shook his head in amazement as the terrapin ducked his head through the shattered pane. _If we had a thousand more just like him, I might not worry about how we are to overcome the enemy._

Leonardo rapidly returning, flattening against the wall. "There are Interceptors surrounding the building. I think they're already looking for us."

"Well we wanted to attract attention." Raphael fumed. "I think we achieved that goal."


	76. Leverage

Shukri was on the verge of panicking. After receiving the harried uplink from Bahri informing him that the technicians at the smaller energy sub-station had been compromised, he was afraid that their contacts _inside_ Central could have already been revealed as well.

"_There is not very much time to adjust the plan_," Shukri said tightly. "_Do you think it is safe for me to move forward or not?_ _It does not _appear_ that our contacts have been detected, but they have not attempted to intervene yet__."_

"_Can you be certain that the higher powers are not aware of you?" _Bahri asked.

"_We cannot be _certain _of anything! At the same time, the attack on the cell block was obvious. They would not expect something of this nature from inside Central, and now that traitors have been exposed, Yasir may have more reason for overconfidence."_

"_Then you should go forward as originally intended," _Bahri told him.

"_All right, Bahri; that is what I will do. Make haste and escape, my friend! May El protect you."_

"_And you!" _Bahri returned. "_Be gone from Central as soon as possible!"_

Shukri hung up his link and began walking again, quickly this time. Yasir had already summoned him to bring a few supplies, as the elohim had counted on. It was no accident that Shukri had "used up" the stock of mind serum in the Lab and neglected to replace it. He was on his way to meet the Doctor now, but he had two other fast stops to make first.

He was already close to 255's cell, and based on his own rank inside Central, he didn't expect anyone to question what he was doing with the slave. Shukri was the perfect candidate to "spring" the human girl, as Donatello had put it.

The elohim stayed calm and maintained a cold exterior as he opened the door to the cell in question and beckoned the young woman to wake up. "_On your feet, 255_," he commanded.

Kamryn looked bewildered but hurried to obey.

"_Get dressed, and be quick_."

"_What does Yasir want with me this late?" _she ventured.

"_You will find out soon enough," _he answered stiffly, keeping his true emotions in check.

Shukri noticed a flash of anger in her green cat eyes before she was able to contain it. The young woman had been different since returning to Arcadia. While she'd been outwardly compliant, he'd sensed her smoldering underneath, to the point that Shukri had nearly warned her. _But I did not want her to be responsible for my secret. It has been difficult enough to carry on my own, without her having to bear it too._

Shukri tried to behave as efficiently as normal, guiding the slave out of her cell and down the path that would take them to the familiar Lab. The woman didn't say anything, but he caught her glancing at him a couple of times, and the elohim knew she was worried.

"_What could this be about_?" she murmured.

"_Yasir's business is his own to keep_," he replied. _Be patient just a little longer, young one. Everything is going to be all right, _he said silently.

As Shukri had hoped, the few souls that were keeping an eye on the immediate zone weren't concerned to find him roaming the halls, not with his official case over his shoulder and the young slave experiment at his side. After crossing through the last stage of security, he pulled up short in the passageway before Kamryn had expected.

"_What are we doing?_" she asked.

"_Come with me_," he said briskly, stepping over to another side door to a separate office he often used.

Shukri looked left and right to verify that they were alone, and then knocked four times on the hatch. He could feel Kamryn's confused stare, but didn't acknowledge it. The door hissed open from the other side, and he prompted the girl to go ahead of him.

"_What's going on?_" she asked. "_Why are we…_Ghyath_?"_

Shukri went inside behind her and hit the button to shut the door.

"_What is this? What are you doing here?"_ Kamryn exclaimed.

"_It is an escape," _Ghyath explained. "_We need to stay out of the way for a little while until Shukri finishes his part, but then we are going to probably be in for the race of our lives. Are you up for it, Kamryn?"_

Her startled laugh was loud. "_Am I up for it? Where have you been my whole life?_"

"_What am I dealing with inside?"_ Shukri asked before anyone else could say something.

"_Yasir took Mukhtar and another sentry in with him; he appears to be in a paranoid mood given the events of this evening_," Ghyath told him. "_Just the same, I do not think that he will see this coming. You have to act quickly, Shukri, else there will be no hope for you at all_."

Shukri nodded gravely. "_I know what I have to do. Do you have a weapon for me?"_

Ghyath passed him a gun, and Shukri swiftly tucked it into hiding under his tunic.

Alcinius touched his shoulder tentatively. "_We are counting on you, soldier_."

Shukri stood up taller. "_I am ready. I have already confirmed with the technician on our side that he needs to create the interference on the Network surveillance from the moment I enter the Lab_."

"_What is going _on _inside the Lab?" _Kamryn wanted to know.

"_I will explain everything in a minute_," Ghyath told her, then looked at Shukri. "_Go, brother. Make haste._"

Shukri walked out of the office and adjusted the shoulder strap of his bag. He was _supposed_ to be bringing the Doctor supplies, but instead he was toting what few possessions were worthwhile enough to smuggle out of Arcadia, mostly in digital form.

He took a very deep breath as he approached the reinforced entryway to the Lab, and typed in the code to let himself in. As the elohim set foot on the first landing, his heart beat automatically quickened. It only became louder in his ears as he traveled down the stairs to the ground level.

Shukri nodded a greeting at the two sentries, pretending that their mere presence there didn't disturb him. He looked across the room and saw the raven-haired woman in what had become her customary place, and then glanced the other way to see Yasir. The Doctor was hovering over the newly "captured" terrapin in such a manner that it made Shukri struggle to breathe normally.

He approached Yasir as nonchalantly as possible. "_I apologize, Doctor, for not getting back with you earlier today. There was a mistake in the original formulation of the serum, and I had to force the mixer to start from scratch._"

"_That you are here now is what matters, Shukri_," Yasir said calmly. "_Look who has returned to us._"

Shukri tried to display an appropriate sense of disdain toward the terrapin, even as he attempted to determine if Donatello was really hurt. He noted that the terrapin's wrists were still bound in front of him, and that the Doctor had not chained him to the table yet.

Donatello's eyes bored into Shukri's soul, and the elohim knew what he was looking for. Shukri blinked rapidly to reassure him that the plan was in motion.

"_Is he properly contained_?" Shukri asked, shooting a questioning glance at the sentries.

"_Oh – they are just for insurance purposes_," Yasir told him. "_There are no worries for this terrapin. The energy binder has already taken a toll. Could you prepare a couple of doses of the serum for me so that they are ready for my use when I require it?"_

"_Yes, Doctor." _Shukri took his bag over to the nearest work station and pretended to be sifting through it, all while watching Yasir with the terrapin out of the corner of his eye. His adrenaline was building up so strongly that he could hardly stand still. _If Donatello does not have a chance to act soon, I may explode._

Yasir was removing the manacles from the terrapin's wrists. Shukri held his breath expectantly. He was prepared for Donatello to lunge, but the sheer speed of the terrapin's attack was still shocking. In the blink of an eye Donatello had one hand wrapped around the Overlord's throat, and used his other arm to propel the Doctor backwards into the wall.

As the sentries thundered that direction, Shukri grasped for his weapon underneath his tunic. His first shot caught the pair completely off guard, and Mukhtar went down in the middle of the floor. The second wheeled around to face him with confusion and then anger. Shukri had another shot off before the sentry could fire, and then dashed over to Donatello.

"Nice work," the terrapin said through clenched teeth. "You didn't kill them, did you?"

"No, it was only set to stun."

"Then you need to get them tied up."

"_Shukri, what are you _doing_? You are with _them_?" _Yasir's stunned expression was _almost_ enough to make up for the difficult decade Shukri had experienced of serving the Overlord while also opposing him. Almost.

"Go do it, Shukri," Donatello urged him, even as he hauled Yasir back toward the table.

The moment the elohim turned his back he heard the sounds of a short-lived scuffle. He jerked back around at the sound of a loud blow that preceded a _thud_. Shukri shook his head at the sight of the Doctor flat on his back on the floor.

"Not so easy to take me down when you can't cheat," the terrapin muttered.

Shukri bound the other two Overlords by their hands and feet, and returned to Yasir to find his superior with his wrists already manacled behind his back. Yasir's jaw was bleeding and his gaze was vacant, but he didn't appear to be seriously injured. The Overlord had been momentarily abandoned as the terrapin went to the object of his true concern.

Shukri watched Donatello precariously picking through the wires hooked up to the young woman, and hurried over to help him.

"Is it safe to move her?" the terrapin asked.

"Yes; she and the babies are stable. I am not certain of how she will fair through an escape attempt, but we have to try now that we are here."

"Have some faith, Shukri."

"I am trying." The elohim began removing wires without rhyme or reason in his haste to get her freed.

"_Activate voice lock-down!_" Yasir shouted from across the room.

Shukri jerked as if he'd been shot, and Donatello grabbed for his arm.

"What did he say?" the terrapin asked.

"I am not sure what it meant…Something about a voice lock. Bring her quickly, and let me check something."

Donatello gathered the lifeless woman with extreme gentleness, and Shukri raced for the stairs with a terrible feeling in his gut. When the elohim reached the top, his worst fear was confirmed. The red light on the control pad was enough to tell him that the code he possessed wasn't going to open the door.

With an anxious breath he went back downstairs and found Yasir glaring up at Donatello from the floor.

"You are not going _anywhere_," the Overlord informed them. "The Lab is locked down and will respond only to my voice command. If you like, you can have a seat to wait for security to take notice of the situation. It should not take long."

Donatello carefully set the woman down on the table and bent closer to the Doctor with a dangerous look. "I didn't come this far to be locked in, Yasir."

"There is nothing you can do to make me falter, terrapin. You could kill me, but it will not buy your freedom."

Donatello straightened up with a strange look in his eyes. "Did you say that the Lab would only respond to _your _commands?"

"That is correct, terrapin," Yasir said smugly. "You are trapped. There is no way out."

"Wait now, let me get this straight," Donatello said slowly. "You've effectively locked me into the _one_ place where I can do more damage in five minutes than you can repair in a lifetime. Is that what you're telling me?"

The Overlord opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

The terrapin began scanning the room curiously. "I wonder how _much_ data I could corrupt before security gets here. Of course, if you were out of commission and couldn't open the door, then I'd have all the time that I need."

Donatello walked toward the center of the room where Mukhtar's fallen rod was lying. The terrapin hefted the weapon in hand and ambled toward the first workstation. "Is it true that you're so protective of your own technology that your Lab serves as your only source of back-up?"

Yasir made a strangled sound, but wasn't able to form real words.

Without warning the terrapin spun the rod in his hand and lashed out at the nearest reflective wall monitor. He focused the brunt of his force on the small bank of displays before starting to explore the room for a larger target. Shukri watched Donatello look overhead and zero in on the housing of the cranium scanner.

"I remember that thing," Donatello said, his voice tinged with deadly calm. "Reorientation. How many memories has that machine destroyed, Yasir?"

Shukri didn't think that the terrapin could possibly reach it, but he was mistaken. He gasped as the turtle took a running leap and bounded off the wall to increase his momentum. Donatello yanked himself on top of the suspended scanner, and twisted the rod experimentally to reveal the blade on the end.

With every powerful thrust from the rod the scanner shuddered, and Shukri heard Yasir breathing louder. The entire unit finally came down with a mighty _crash, _and the terrapin leaped harmlessly out of the way.

"Okay. What next, Yasir?" Donatello asked.

"_Shukri, you cannot just _stand _here and watch him do this!" _Yasir cried at last. "_We worked together for over a century to compile our data, to change the course of our future! Are you going to let him destroy all of it?_"

"_No_," Shukri replied with resolve, raising his gun. "_I mean to destroy it too_." He paused, nodding toward Donatello. "Come, terrapin. The most important data banks are inside the glass booth upstairs."

"No!" Yasir's scream echoed through the entire space as they turned for the stairs.

"This was a brilliant plan, Yasir, having your locks encrypted because you don't trust anyone else. There's no one to stop us from annihilating this entire place." Donatello grinned.

Shukri chuckled. "If we cannot escape, there is nothing else that I would rather do."

"NO!" Yasir was even more insistent than before. "_Shukri, I know that you will not do this!_"

The elohim turned to face the Doctor head-on. "_You are sadly mistaken_."

Yasir yelled at them to stop once more as they began ascending the stairs, followed by a string of curses that rivaled the greatest tirade that Shukri had ever heard. They continued up their course until the Overlord proclaimed the magic words.

"_Deactivate voice lock-down_!"

Shukri's head shot up. "I need to check the door!" he informed the terrapin.

The elohim's fingers slid across the key-pad, and he laughed when the hatch released under his touch. "We are out, Donatello!"

"You will never escape Central with your lives!" Yasir shouted. "You will no—"

Shukri glanced back over the landing to see Donatello rapidly wrapping a piece of material around the Doctor's mouth to gag him.

"Shukri, come back down here and get him!" Donatello called.

The elohim ran down the flight of stairs. "Get him?"

"Yeah. He's coming with us," the terrapin said decisively. "Yasir might be our best bet to escape this hell-hole in one piece."

"You mean like a hostage?"

Donatello nodded.

"Works for me!" Shukri replied, feeling much bolder than he ever had in his entire life. He smiled into the angry face of his superior as he dragged Yasir to his feet. "_Evil will only triumph for a day, Yasir – and yours is long past._"


	77. Running

Raphael was already sick of running. The presence of guns never improved a fight in his estimation, not unless said weapons included the missiles on the Battle Shell. _Man, what I wouldn't give to have a few of _those_ right now. That or less baggage so we could abandon this freakin' building by the fastest method. _He wouldn't have normally lumped Brandon into that category with Bahri, but the bronze-haired man was no more prepared for roof-hopping acrobatics than the elohim was. _A couple more years of working with us and Bran might be up for that, but as for tonight…_

Raphael snapped to attention as Leonardo called him to huddle up with them. Going out the window on the level they'd abandoned had been a short-lived exercise, because of the enemy fire they'd drawn from Interceptors upon emerging.

The only thing that they had going for them at the moment was the fact that the power was out, and the cameras weren't watching their every move. At the same time, it wasn't preventing the sentries from tracking them down on foot. The longer they stayed inside the building, the more they risked being pinned down by a security force.

Bahri was on his link talking a mile-a-minute, and the red-masked turtle could only hope that he was accomplishing something useful. Raphael turned around to watch their backs as they gathered near the end of the hallway on the 2Oth floor where they'd retreated from combatants surrounding the building outside. As he waited tensely for something to happen, he picked up approaching footsteps by the faint reverberations on the floor.

Raphael jerked his head around to look at the elohim. "We've got incoming! Bahri, _gimme_ that gun if you're not gonna use it!"

The elohim willingly handed the rifle to the turtle and went back to his link.

Raphael grimaced distastefully at Michelangelo beside him. "This ain't how real fighting is supposed to be done."

"Whatever gets the job done, Bro," Mike insisted.

Brandon shouldered the orange-masked turtle out of the way as he took a position with Raphael. "Stay back for a minute, Mikey."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want Bran having to jump in front of you to block someone else's shot or anything," Raph said sarcastically.

"Are you _still_ waiting for me to apologize for the Congo, Raph?" Brandon retorted. "It's not going to happen!"

"Hush – they're coming," Raphael insisted.

The red-masked turtle opted to wait for a hatch to open, not bothering to take any shots until he knew they were going to count for something. _But we still gotta get _them_ before they get us, _he reminded himself. With that parting thought he instantly fired on the first three that piled into the hallway, cursing loudly as he was forced to hit the ground to avoid return-fire from the ones behind them.

Raphael couldn't help wondering if their attackers were affording them the same courtesy of using the stun setting rather than trying to kill them outright. _There's no way to tell for sure without somebody being shot, and I don't want to test out that theory. _He continued firing from his lower position, and could see Brandon out of the corner of his eye unloading a barrage too. _Shell, it's almost like something out of a movie, but this ain't no joke! What the shell is Leo _doing_? We can't keep this up forever!_

Raphael never took his eyes off enemies or lowered the rifle until the laser fire cooled down, and it became clear that the immediate threat had been neutralized. The red-masked turtle exhaled, but the peace wasn't going to last.

The sound of an explosion rocked the remnants of the floor-to-ceiling window pane behind them, as if a war was taking place just outside. Raphael considered hitting the floor for cover again, but his eye ridges rose when he saw Leonardo's apparent lack of concern.

He strode rapidly over to his older brother. "Shell, Leo, what's going on out there? Did World War Three already start, or are we still warming up?"

"Some help finally arrived," Leonardo told him. "They're trying to draw Interceptors off of the building so we can get back outside."

"And go _where_, Fearless? How are we supposed to climb down in the middle of a firefight?"

"I've been taking stock of the building next door, Raph. There's a sizeable landing we could get to, and it would only take about a 20 foot drop. From there, it's a shorter distance to what Bahri called a landing pad. We ought to be able to get down the other side, and use the cables for maximum speed potential."

"Are you forgetting about our carry-ons?" Raphael asked pointedly. "Bran could handle a drop like that, but Bahri?"

"He's already agreed to try it, Raph. We're going to get mowed down if we stay here!"

Michelangelo elbowed in-between him and Leonardo. "Can we risk going out in that?"

"We _can't_ risk staying here," Leonardo replied. "We'll be penned in for sure. The sentries aren't hurting for numbers, and it's only a matter of time before we're surrounded without the _option_ to get out." The blue-masked turtle took a deep breath. "I figured that I could go over first with Bahri. The moment we're clear of the first landing, I want the rest of you to get a move on. Don't hesitate."

The elohim wordlessly joined Leonardo by the shattered pane, and Raphael detected his breathing quickening.

"When you jump, you need to bring your knees up to your chest, Bahri," Leonardo told him. "It's not going to take long to fall this distance, and you want your legs prepared to absorb that impact. Having your knees already bent will reduce the magnitude of the force greatly. Protect your head just in case you bounce on landing. I'm going to try to help you as much as I can."

"Anything else?" Bahri asked shakily.

Raphael looked over his shoulder as the floor shook beneath his feet. Whether it was due to a larger group approaching or stress on the building from the aerial fire fight, the turtle wanted nothing more to do with it. "Just GO!" he shouted.

Leonardo took Bahri by the elbow, and it was all Raphael could do not to shove them out of the hallway himself. He forced himself to stand by and watch for the outcome of the maneuver with baited breath. Air rushed out of his lungs with relief as he witnessed an awkward but _safe_ landing.

He watched the pair scoot around the corner of the adjacent building out of sight, and then grabbed his youngest brother's arm. "Go, Mike!"

The orange-masked turtle rushed out the window without a backward glance, disappearing into the darkness which was still being interrupted by the bright flashes of laser fire. Raphael watched for his little brother to make it, and then ducked his head into the hall once more.

"C'mon, Bran!" Raphael cried, pulling the man toward the window.

The sound of a tremendous explosion above them forced both turtle and man to hesitate, as wreckage slammed into their side of the building. Raphael stared in awe as the fiery missile plummeted before their very eyes and forgot to breathe.

There was no more time for waiting as far as he was concerned. The moment the path was clear he urged Brandon to go, and he was right behind him. The red-masked turtle was concentrating so hard on not colliding with the man on impact that he rammed into the structure instead, hissing as pain ignited through his side.

"Raph, are you okay?" Brandon demanded.

"Not the time!" he returned, pointing up at the two ships exchanging fire above them. "Keep going, Man!"

Brandon shimmied around the side of the landing, and dropped onto the flat roof-top that was only one more level beneath them. Raphael's side still felt like it was burning, but that didn't stop him from following after him.

The red-masked turtle found the rest of the team already waiting for them, with Leonardo focused on the far side of the roof. As Raphael approached him, he realized that his brother already had the cables hooked up.

"Are we going?" he asked hurriedly.

"Yes," Leonardo replied. "We're supposed to have more back up on the way too. Everyone, let's go!"

Raphael shook his head as he listened to his oldest brother give Bahri a couple more instructions concerning the rapid descent. _I think this is the last time we ought to bring along a seven-foot giant that we can't just throw over our shoulder._

Michelangelo gave him a serious look as they poised themselves to go over the side of the structure. "I hope Donny had better luck than us."

"We're getting there, Mikey," he reassured him. "I bet Donny is too."

Raphael knew he should have been paying more attention to his own progress as they used the cables to climb down to the street level, but he caught himself watching for Bahri instead. Leonardo was right beside the elohim, both encouraging him and urging him to pick up speed.

The dark sky above them lit up for a brilliant moment with the fire of another explosion on the cell block, and Raphael swallowed hard. Touching down on solid ground was heartening enough that the red-masked turtle exhaled and then pressed a hand to his side briefly to alleviate a little of the pain.

Leonardo and Bahri were the last to land, and the blue-masked turtle had to catch the elohim around the back as he stumbled slightly.

"We have to keep moving!" Leo ordered, one arm still wrapped around Bahri's waist.

Raphael detected the elohim's limp in an instant and swore under his breath. _That's just what we needed._ He pressed in close to Leonardo to help protect the most vulnerable member of their team, forgetting about the pain in his own side.

The blue-masked turtle led them around the dark side of the structure they'd just descended…and straight into a barricade of sentries on the street level. A wide semi-circle of laser rifles had Raphael wishing that they'd stayed inside the cell block.

* * *

><p>Kamryn gasped out loud when she saw Yasir walk out of the Lab, but it only took her an instant to realize that the Overlord was under Shukri's control.<p>

"What is this?" Ghyath asked, sounding just as surprised.

Shukri nodded his head toward Donatello, who was emerging behind him with Jenna in his arms.

"I was inspired," Donatello said sardonically. "Don't you think we have a better shot of not being blown away if we have a vital hostage in our midst?"

Alcinius took a step forward to stare down the Doctor. "Your proposal is not disagreeable."

Kamryn had a hard time not laughing as the Overlord's face changed to a peculiar shade of red, and he grunted angrily from behind his gag. Yasir was only a momentary distraction, however, before the young woman rushed to Donatello's side.

The purple-masked turtle sighed with relief when he saw her. "Kamryn. Are you all right?"

"Yes," she answered. "The Ruairi didn't have a chance to touch me. So this must be Jenna?" Kamryn looked at the woman and felt a strong stirring of sympathy for her. By the lack of expression in her beautiful blue eyes, it was obvious that she'd been heavily sedated.

"Yes, this is my wife," Donatello affirmed.

"Excuse me," Alcinius spoke up. "I do not want to rush you, but I need to insist that we get going. Already Ghyath and I have dealt with four other sentries who got too close for our comfort. If we are to have a chance of escaping, we have to take it now."

Donatello nodded. "You're right – we should go."

"Keep behind us with Jenna, Donatello," Ghyath instructed him. "Kamryn stay with him. Shukri do not take that gun off of Yasir. Alcinius and I will stay in the front, and hopefully we will get out of this alive."

Kamryn saw tension emerging in the turtle's shoulders as they started moving. _He can't fight with his hands full, _she realized. The young woman hurried up to the front of the group and tapped Ghyath's shoulder. "I need a weapon!" she informed him.

The elohim gazed at her for a moment before reaching into another holster for a smaller gun. "I should have thought to arm you, but I was not sure if you would want it."

The young woman took the weapon from him and flipped the setting _off_ of stun. "I'm not as helpless as I look, Ghyath."

"I did not thi—"

Kamryn held up a hand to cut the elohim off. "We all need to help each other, right? I'd appreciate it if you just looked at me as a member of the team."

Ghyath nodded, and he and Alcinius resumed leading their progress. Kamryn dropped back to Donatello's side and scowled at the sight of Yasir in front of her.

"You're different," Donatello said.

Kamryn hadn't realized that the turtle was studying her. "I am," she admitted. "I've _had_ it, Donatello. I'm done being treated like my life is only worth something on the level of an experiment. I'm better than that, and I _deserve_ better."

"Yes, you do," he said firmly "And I'm not disappointed that you feel that way. I just want to make sure that _all _of us get out."

A small smile played on her lips. "I'm more determined to live than ever, Donatello. When the Ruairi abducted me, something snapped. On the other hand, I'm not _afraid_ to die. Part of me feels like I've been living on borrowed time as it is…but I would rather stay alive."

"Good girl." The turtle nodded at her gun. "Watch where you point that thing. Have you had much target practice?"

"The Overlords aren't in the habit of giving guns to slaves, Donatello." _But that doesn't mean I haven't practiced other things, _she added inwardly.

As they continued in silence, Kamryn was surprised by the way her senses were sharpening. She suspected that pumping adrenaline was feeding the abilities that she'd only recently begun tapping further. So it was when they reached a literal crossroads in the passageway, something immediately made her hesitate. Ghyath and Alcinius had chosen their direction already, and she ended up calling after them.

"Wait! Stop!"

Alcinius was the first to turn around. "This is the shortest path back to the transporter that will take us to launch strip we need. We have to pick up my ship."

"I really, really don't think we should go that way," she insisted.

The elder elohim looked irritated, but Ghyath was more willing to take a moment to consider her reasoning.

"Why do you think we should not go that way?" Ghyath asked.

"Because I smell a feeding frenzy," Kamryn replied. "Or what could _become _one. There's a high concentration of bodies in that direction."

Ghyath and Alcinius looked at each other.

"Are you sure?" the golden-eyed elohim pressed.

"Yes." Kamryn stood her ground, unwavering.

"What's Plan B?" Donatello asked.

Alcinius shook his head. "We barely had a Plan A. We are making this up as we go along, terrapin. There are other avenues for support if we cannot reach my ship. It is only a matter of finding the safest route out of Central."

"Since we're trying to fly under the radar, is there another transporter that we can use?" Donatello asked. "The cameras are down, so any enemies would only be able to rely on their own eyes. Where would we be the _least _likely to run into someone?"

Ghyath took a sharp breath. "For the sake of a rapid escape, the transporters on the outside fringe of the building are the best solution…but there would be many sentries in that area. If we stayed toward the interior, we would be less likely to meet unfriendlies."

"But that also takes us out of range of the launch strips!" Shukri pointed out.

"That is not entirely true," Alcinius said. "The maintenance track could take us into the launch strips from underneath. If a contact could say, move my ship into a different position, we may be able to get onboard without detection."

"We may need the ship to be moved to an entirely different _strip_," Shukri mentioned. "If we are seen en route, there will be suspicion cast upon it. Better it have it on another level, with engineers who do not know who it belongs to."

"How long will it take to penetrate the interior?" Donatello asked.

"Longer if we do not begin moving again," Alcinius said. "I see a great irony in this adjustment. We are avoiding the perimeter because we do not want to be seen, but by spending more time getting to the interior, we are further risking being caught."

"That's why they call this winging it, Alcinius," the turtle replied. "Sometimes the only way to win against overwhelming odds is to take your life in your own hands and pray to God that it somehow works out.


	78. Cavalry

Raphael glared at the surrounding sentries as if they were nothing more than children linking their hands together to play "Red Rover". The red-masked turtle made no move to release his grip on the dirks, and his brothers didn't appear to be considering laying down their weapons either. Only Bahri seemed to be faltering, his gun arm starting to drop.

"I am sorry," the blue-eyed elohim told the group. "The responsibility was mine to acquire help, and I did not see us through, terrapins. I pray that you can forgive me."

"Quit praying for forgiveness and hold onto your gun," Raphael snapped.

"You will only receive one warning, invaders and _traitor_," an Overlord inserted before Bahri could reply. "Your options are to surrender or perish. Our orders include permission to kill, and if you would like me to prove it, you may ignore me."

_I hate guns. I _hate _guns, _Raphael fumed inwardly, looking over to Leonardo rather than the speaker. He couldn't see any sign that his blue-masked brother had a brilliant plan to get them out of this. Leo caught his eye and winced.

"Stand down." Leonardo said the words as if they were physically painful. "Everyone stand down."

Raphael breathed rapidly through fury as he laid his blades on the ground, but continued scowling at the enemies. _This figures. We were all worried about Donny, and now we're the ones getting ourselves into a load of trouble. I'd love to know how the shell we'll make it out of this if that Altus guy doesn't even care if his goons take us alive. Hopefully Don really _is_ doing better than we are._

The sound of a low whistle overhead drew Raphael's attention. A sudden flash startled the turtle and made him blink so rapidly that he nearly missed the ripple effect as an explosion rocked the center of the barricade. Before he'd had a chance to connect what had just happened, the rapid onset of several _more_ flashes led Raphael to believe that their lives were about to end.

He felt the searing heat from the blasts, but also finally realized that the explosions were _strategic_ in the fashion that they were being focused. The red-masked turtle gazed back into the sky and made out shadows this time. As they darted lower he recognized _winged_ assailants with a gasp, and snatched to retrieve his dirks from the ground while newfound allies were firing upon the Overlords.

Within moments it seemed that Brandon and Bahri had remembered their _own_ weapons and turned the guns on the opposing sentries, adding to the panic that the aerial attack had created. Raphael sprang forward, simultaneously plunging both dirks into the two nearest enemies. He grinned at the sight of Michelangelo spinning like a whirlwind into three more sentries who appeared more concerned with the combatants in the air than the turtle directly in front of them.

As two more flashes lit overhead Raphael wisely leaped backwards, logic telling him to avoid pyrotechnics at all costs.

"Terrapins, GO!" Achaz's voice somehow cut through the madness, as if the Ruairi possessed a loud speaker. The alien dipped lower over their heads, waving strongly for them to move.

Leonardo didn't ask any questions but simply led the charge in the direction that the Ruairi had indicated. Raphael noticed that his older brother was watching the sky above more than where he was going, using Bahri on his right to help prevent him from running into anything.

Though Raphael had a hard time making out many details about the Ruairi's shadowy forms, he couldn't miss it when one of them plummeted to the ground several feet in front of them. The red-masked turtle grimaced, grinding his teeth as he ran with the group for all he was worth.

Raphael knew that one of them could be hit any second, and then it would all be over. _Better not to think about it_. He tried to keep his eyes fixed on Leonardo, ignoring the sounds of intermittent explosions and raucous laser fire.

Raphael was surprised when his brother suddenly veered off course, bounding on top of a land cruiser that was parked on the side of the street. The blue-masked turtle vaulted off the craft, snatching another falling alien out of mid-air. Leonardo landed nimbly on his feet and kept going - _where_, Raphael didn't know.

Raphael hoped that Achaz had a plan that _didn't_ just involve running away from an army of sentries down the street with no end goal in sight. When the red-masked turtle peered up once more, he caught sight of at least six of the Ruairi who'd taken protective flanking positions as they provided some of the laser fire he'd been listening to.

The shock of the Ruairis' intervention hadn't worn off on Raphael yet. When one of the aliens dove lower, he almost had the urge to defend himself from the figure. The Ruairi called out Leonardo's name, and Raphael recognized Achaz's voice again.

"We need to take a ship!" Achaz cried. "It is coming up on the next block!"

Raphael didn't know how it was possible for the recently released Ruairi to become so organized in the span of time in which they'd been free, but he wasn't in a questioning mood any more than Leonardo. Answers were more satisfying when they were granted from safety; their present situation called only for running.

Raphael jumped as another Ruairi crashed to his right, and he instantly jogged out to check the alien for himself. The Ruairi stared up at him with unseeing eyes and wicked burns that indicated he was dead before he ever hit the ground.

"Raphael, _now_!" Achaz urged him.

Raphael swallowed as he left the downed alien's side, hurrying back underneath the shrinking formation flying overhead. Achaz whipped toward the head of the group, leading them to the craft that he'd mentioned a couple of minutes before. The red-masked turtle could see the open hatch from a couple of yards out, and pressed up behind Bahri to help the elohim move faster.

Michelangelo's arm came around his _own_ shell, jerking Raphael out of the path of enemy fire. He gave his little brother a brief grateful look before returning to the task of making it to the ship in one piece. He kept pace with Mike and Brandon as they closed in on the craft, but then extended both arms to push them through the hatch ahead of him.

Achaz was already onboard, moving quickly in the direction of the cockpit with Bahri, and Leonardo was carefully setting down the wounded Ruairi that he'd rescued. A third Ruairi literally flew through the open hatch and slammed to the floor.

"Take off! _Take off!" _the alien yelled toward the cockpit.

Raphael reached down to help the Ruairi up, recognizing Lajos in the faint light. "What about the rest of your buddies?"

Lajos shook his head, and the rest of his body trembled too. "They are beyond help now. The most we can hope for is to escape ourselves."

* * *

><p>Kamryn had never sunken to the level of calling on a Higher Power that she wasn't certain she believed in, but she was feeling seriously tempted. The trip into the interior of Central had proved to be quieter than she'd expected, but instinct told her that they had yet to face the worst of it. She felt more confident for being part of a group, but the unknown of what could be around every corner was getting to her.<p>

She never ventured far from Donatello. As absurd as it sounded to her rational mind, she felt like she was the last line of defense for the purple-masked turtle who was more concerned with protecting his wife than anything else. _I will go down myself before I allow anything to happen to them._

The farther they traveled toward the maintenance track, the darker the atmosphere felt to Kamryn. She knew that they were getting closer to the transporter they needed, but she also recognized that they going to come upon more of the Overlords.

Shukri was still dealing with Yasir, forcing him forward on unwilling legs with shoves that had become increasingly stronger. Ghyath and Alcinius were at the front of the group one moment, but in the next were bolting farther ahead of them. Kamryn saw the three figures that their leaders were dashing to meet, but didn't even flinch. The two elohim appeared to have everything under control, until the piercing tone of an alarm painfully penetrated her sensitive ears.

"Oh no." Shukri moaned. "We will never make it in time!"

"In time for what?" Kamryn demanded.

"We have been detected, Kamryn! The engineers will shut down the track before we have a chance to use it!" Shukri returned.

Kamryn's eyes darkened as Yasir seemed to be trying to laugh from behind his gag. "We'll see about that." She'd only taken a single stride before the turtle called after her.

"Kamryn!"

"It's all right," she said calmly. "You guys can catch up with me."

Without another word Kamryn took off running, aiming straight down the course they'd been taking. She didn't take the time to think it through or to command her body to respond in a certain way. The animal instincts that were as much a part of her as her own heartbeat naturally took dominance.

She rapidly caught up to Ghyath and Alcinius and then passed them. Kamryn heard the elohim yell after her, but didn't hesitate. They would try to match her for speed, but the young woman already knew that they couldn't.

Over the course of months and years that she'd spent inside Central, Kamryn had heard of the Control Deck, but never seen it. The double-doors that Alcinius had described as leading to the catwalk were in sight, and all she needed to do was reach the interior before any of the engineers did something that her team couldn't reverse.

The wind she was creating seemed to give her wings and she pushed as fast as she could run, gun still clutched in hand. One side of the doors began to open on her approach and an Overlord with a threatening leer held up his weapon – but her shot went off first.

Kamryn hopped over the figure without wavering and swept through the open hatch. The young woman had to stop short when the expected walkway didn't _exist_. She looked around wildly for a few seconds, before realizing that bridge had been retracted.

The young woman eyed the approximately fifteen foot chasm between her and the Control Deck, and knew what she had to do. Kamryn backed up to the door and took a running start, knowing from experience that she _should_ be able to land the jump. Exhilaration and adrenaline surged to an all-time high as she launched into thin air to cross the gap. After touching down on the other side, she burst onto the upper deck to greet the aghast engineer.

"_You…but…how_…"

"_Return the bridge_," she ordered, leveling her weapon on the Overlord's head.

"_I cannot. I _will_ not, human. You can go no farther_."

"_I can kill you_," Kamryn said warningly.

"_That is better than what the Altus would do to me!_"

"_And what will the Altus do if you manage to get Yasir kill__ed?"_ she challenged.

The engineer's brow creased.

"_He is our hostage, Overlord. If you do not return the walkway, my associates will be _forced_ to kill him_."

Wordlessly the engineer reached for the magnifiers on his workstation, and used them to look across the chasm to confirm the truth of her threat

"_Return the walkway!"_ she commanded.

The Overlord paused for another beat, but then his fingers brushed the touch-screen of the remote. Kamryn watched the engineer warily as the bridge extended to its correct position, and she waited for her team to cross.

Ghyath looked at her uncertainly. "How did you get here?"

"That was nothing," she answered. "My record for a jump is closer to _22_ feet."

Kamryn saw Yasir's violet eyes widen, and she laughed scornfully at the Overlord. "Your hybrid _may_ have been more successful than I let on, Yasir. Who knew?"

The sight of Donatello's grin made her flush with joy over _his_ pride. It was such a powerful moment that Kamryn nearly forgot that they weren't out of danger yet.

"We must keep going," Alcinius said. "The transporter has to make a complete circuit of the maintenance track in order to get us to the launch strips."

Before they could even take a step, however, Ghyath held up a hand to prevent them. The golden-eyed elohim reached for his flashing link.

"_I am here – go ahead_," he told the party on the other end, and listened for what felt like an eternity to something over his earpiece. Kamryn watched Ghyath's face fall as the elohim looked back at them. "There is a problem concerning Alcinius' ship," he said flatly. "We are not going to be able to use it to escape."


	79. Redeeming

Michelangelo was tingling so hard from excess adrenaline that he couldn't bring himself to sit down. When the air ship rocketed across the street without any further warning the orange-masked turtle almost went flying with it, catching a hold of a seat to rescue himself.

"Mikey, get your shell strapped in!" Raphael commanded, not even bothering to insult him for not having already done it.

Mike hurriedly chose a seat beside an already white-knuckled Brandon. "You gonna be okay?"

The man gave him a _look_. "Do me a favor and don't ask me that right now."

Michelangelo tried to appear reassuring in return but Brandon really _didn't_ seem to want to discuss it. He focused on the two Ruairi across from him instead, lingering the longest on the injured one with concern. Lajos made eye contact with him briefly before glancing away.

"You came back," Mike stated.

"We never left, not completely," Lajos corrected. "Achaz did not want to run."

"So you followed us." Raphael sounded accusing, but Mike knew that his brother wasn't trying to be derisive.

"We did not follow you _exactly_," Lajos answered. "We had to take the time to jump a team of sentries for their weapons, and a ship. Then it was only a matter of waiting to see what would happen. Achaz knew you came back to Arcadia for a reason, and it was not because of _us_."

"You're darn _straight_ it wasn't!" Raphael scowled. "You're lucky we didn't leave your tails to rot. At least…" The red-masked turtle faltered, looking toward a window. "You _coulda_ been lucky," he finished in a low voice.

Lajos didn't say anything for a long moment. "It is better than how they _would_ have died," he said finally, his voice straining to remain steady. "But for your mercy, which none of us deserved. If there are creatures more worthy of dying for, I have not met them."

They all lurched as one when the ship rocked dangerously beneath them, and Michelangelo caught a glimpse of a strange green phosphorus-looking glow from the nearest window. "What's that? Were we hit?" his voice soared.

"The shield absorbed the impact," Lajos told him. "It can withstand a certain amount of energy, but it will not hold up under a consistent assault."

"What you're saying is, we're not out of the woods yet," Raphael muttered.

The Ruairi looked at the red-masked turtle like he was crazy. "What woods are you talking about?"

"I didn't mean it like…" Raphael started to explain, but then waved the question off.

Against his better judgment Mike darted out of his seat to the window, trying to catch a glimpse of what was firing at them. A second snap of the colorful haze left the turtle feeling utterly exposed. "Can't we go any faster? How many times can we get shot by them?"

"That is a complicated question, terrapin. It is not so much about the _number _of impacts, as it is the amount of energy that the shield is able to disperse properly. If it is too concentrated in one area, the entire shield can fail under one blow!"

"You really don't have to tell me _everything_," Mike said ruefully.

The orange-masked turtle gasped when a lethal-looking black ship came directly into his view, and followed his first instinct to dive to the floor. Raphael nearly fell in his haste to join him, rapidly dropping to his knees under the window. Mike braced himself for another impact, but the strike never materialized.

Lajos lunged to his feet and came over to them, peering out of the window anxiously. Mike was surprised to hear the Ruairi laugh. Raphael fixed the alien with a dark glare, but Lajos only shook his head.

"We are not alone, terrapins! Up, get up and see for yourselves!"

Michelangelo scrambled upright, using his brother's shell as an anchor to help him gain his feet faster.

"_Hey!_"

Raphael's voice barely registered in his ears as Mike pressed against the window and watched the black Interceptor firing on something _behind _them. "C'mon, Raphy, get up," he chortled, comforted by the sight of additional help. "It's not nap time yet."

His older brother gave him a small shove as he gained his feet, making more room at the window so that he could see too. As they clambered over sharing the space, Lajos pointed across the ship.

"There is another, terrapins! Truly, we are not abandoned!"

Mike's head jerked around and he grinned at the sight of a second Interceptor taking a flanking position on the other side of the ship. "C'mon, Bran, you gotta see this!" he urged the bronze-haired man.

"I'm perfectly fine here, thanks," Brandon replied flatly.

Mike's excited laugh filled the cabin. "Nothing beats having friends in high places!"

His red-masked brother groaned. "Can we get through this without your big mouth shattering the windows from inside?"

"I do not think his laughter has enough force to actually…"Lajos trailed off. "You are being sarcastic," he asserted.

"Yeah, Lajos, I was." Raphael managed a smirk for the Ruairi.

"Don't you think you should maybe sit down since we're still in the middle of a _battle_?" Brandon piped up.

Michelangelo pretended to pout as he returned to his seat, but his face grew serious as he watched Lajos finger the shoulder of his unconscious counterpart. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"I hope so," Lajos replied. "His immediate injuries were not lethal. If he can get timely treatment, I think that he will survive."

Raphael was staring hard at the alien once more, and Mike couldn't help wondering what his brother was thinking. "Thanks for coming after us," the red-masked turtle said gruffly. "I don't understand you people one bit, but I s'pose we would have been screwed if you hadn't shown up back there."

Lajos gripped his injured friend tighter, refusing to meet Raphael's gaze. "We are well aware that we did wrong by you and the elohim," he said. "There was no joy in those actions."

"Then why'd you do it?" Raphael demanded bitterly. "You tried to kill Bahri and Ghyath. You _almost_ killed Leo too, and I've kicked someone's tail for a lot less!"

"I cannot offer you an excuse," Lajos mumbled. "We did not deserve your help or anyone else's. Justice would probably have been served if we were killed by the Overlords' hands, but you set us free. Why would you come for _us _after all the harm that we caused?"

"It wasn't up to me." Raphael snorted. "But I guess…maybe you guys aren't _all_ bad."

Lajos shook his head. "Every one us is equally at fault for the events of that evening, Raphael, because no one made any attempt to change the direction we were going."

"You know the thing that I don't get?" the older turtle asked. "You had allies. You had people who would have done about anything to help you. You've known Bahri and Ghyath a lot longer than we have, but you still couldn't accept the idea that they wouldn't hurt you. I think that's pretty stupid, Lajos. The Nalikjan might be a little crazy, but they're the last people who would have betrayed you!"

Lajos' eyes remained fixed on the floor. "For their attempted murders alone, we cannot _begin_ to make up for."

"I dunno," Mike inserted with a hopeful smile. "Showing back up at just the right moment was a pretty good start." His expression erased as the phosphorus glow exploded to their right again, followed by a metallic _thud_.

"What was _that_?" Raphael was on his feet once more.

Lajos rushed back to the window, stretching to his full height to see outside. After a couple of seconds the Ruairi released a strangled gasp and spun around so fast that it startled Michelangelo. Before either turtle could ask what was going on again, the alien sprinted toward the cockpit.

Mike glanced out the window himself, twisting to try and see what had upset the Ruairi so badly. An oddly iridescent light coming from the wing gave him a sinking feeling.

"Are we slowing down?" Raphael cried, at the same moment as Lajos, Achaz, and Leonardo came into the main cabin.

"We have no choice!" Achaz proclaimed. "Our ship has come in contact with a sensory mine."

"What the _shell_ does that mean?" the red-masked turtle shouted.

"It sounds like a smart weapon, Raph," Leonardo said evenly, holding out his hands to motion for him to settle down. "Bahri said that the Overlords often use them to force a ship to surrender peacefully."

"Don't mines _explode_?" Brandon pressed.

"That's part of the design," Achaz said coolly. "But this particular mine is set to detonate faster based on our speed. If we slow down tremendously, it affords us more time to land safely and surrender."

"Is _that_ what you're suggesting we do?" Brandon was incredulous.

"No," Achaz answered swiftly. "We have to take action, though." The Ruairi headed straight for the hatch adjacent to the wing and tapped his hand over the key-pad in order to open it. "For your own safety, terrapins, please sit down and strap in."

Leonardo shook his head sharply. "Bahri didn't think you should do this!"

"_Someone_ has to," Achaz replied. "Better for it to be someone who can fly."

"You could also be shot!" Leo argued.

"Would you prefer to be blown up or captured?" Achaz challenged. "I do not believe that we have time to talk this over. I am going."

Lajos reached for Achaz's arm. "No, Sir, let me—"

"_I_ am going," the Ruairi insisted, backing toward the hatch. "The rest of you, take some measures to protect yourselves!"

Mike's heart stood still as the determined alien slipped out the door. Regardless of Achaz's last instruction, there was a mad rush to the windows on nearly everyone's part to see what was happening. The Ruairi was bowed low over the wing, holding on for dear life as he inched along at a crawl. The orange-masked turtle's eyes flicked back and forth between the alien dare-devil and the ship still flanking them, as he hoped the Interceptor would be able to provide enough cover for Achaz if he needed it.

Michelangelo could barely stand the sight of Achaz's precarious perch, and was forced to remind himself that the Ruairi could fly. _He'll be all right. He knows what he's doing. _As Achaz continued his slow trek toward the sensory mine, Mike saw the Ruairi's wings suddenly unfurl, and he expected the worst. The alien hadn't lost his grip, however, but seemed to be using his wings to gain better balance.

Mike didn't see the device anymore. He could tell that Achaz was struggling with it one-handed, as he used his free arm to hang onto the wing. He was instantly concerned that the Ruairi wouldn't be able to hold on for long, and by the way Leonardo glanced at the hatch, guessed his brother was thinking the same thing.

"He needs help," Leo said. "We have to do something."

"If we still had the cables—" Mike started.

"But we don't, Chucklehead," Raphael interrupted sharply. "So what else can we do?"

As Leonardo moved toward the door, Lajos caught him by the wrist. "Do not try it, terrapin! By attempting to help, you could throw Achaz off balance!"

"It doesn't look like he's going to last out there!" Leo shot back. "If I don't try, this could all be for nothing!"

Raphael moved away from the window to help Lajos persuade Leonardo away from the door, so that it was only Mike who watched the Ruairi outside throw all caution to the wind, and latch onto the mine with both hands.

"LEO!" Mike cried, gaining his oldest brother's attention just as Achaz yanked with all of his might. The force that the alien applied was so great that the orange-masked turtle instinctively _knew_ that he was going to fall. His breath hitched for an instant as he watched the Ruairi's wings flail while the alien adjusted himself to catch the wind. Mike trembled as he saw Achaz regain control of his descent.

Lajos was standing beside him now, breathing rapidly. "One of our escorts is going after him," the Ruairi said. "They will make sure he is safe. Close that hatch, Leonardo! I am going to tell Bahri to kick in the highest energy cells to get us out of here!"

As the craft shuddered beneath them, Lajos' words made even more sense. The others moved to sit down, but Mike was captured by the _brevity _of the phosphorus glow that time which was followed by sparks. "Uh, guys? I think something's wrong out there!"

Before anyone could respond, Bahri clicked over the speaker. "We have lost our main shield! I need an update on our current situation!"

Lajos ran straight into the cockpit with Leonardo on his heels, as Raphael yelled at Mike to get back to a seat. The orange-masked turtle didn't budge, leaning heavily against the window while he watched the Interceptor flying lower. He smiled as he saw a panel open to admit the soaring Ruairi.

Michelangelo was about to head for his own seat when a streak of light caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He wheeled back around to the window at the report of the explosion and saw the Interceptor free-falling, engulfed in flames. "_No!_" The hoarse cry didn't even sound like it had come from him.

"Mikey, wha—"

The incredible acceleration of the air ship cut off the rest of what Raphael had been trying to say, and sent Michelangelo tumbling head-over-heels. The turtle crashed into the partition separating the cabin from the cockpit so hard that it left his ears ringing.

Mike opted to remain curled up where he'd fallen, knowing better than to fight with the centripetal force that was pinning him down. The horror of what he'd just watched replayed in his mind, so that there were already tears rising by the time his red-masked brother could descend on him.

"Mike! Are you hurt, Bro? Talk to me!"

"They're gone," he gasped.

"Who's gone?" Brandon asked automatically, having abandoned his own seat out of fear for the turtle.

"The Interceptor got shot – I saw it go up in flames," he forced out. "They were crashing."

Lajos exhaled sharply. "Achaz?"

Mike nodded, drawing his legs up to his chest on the floor.

The blue-masked turtle darted around the corner of the cockpit. "What are you guys _doing_? We're still being pursued!" The hardness in his gaze faltered the moment he got a better look at Mike. "What happened?"

Michelangelo turned away and Raphael cleared his throat.

"Fearless, we lost one of the Interceptors, and we lost Achaz," Raphael told him.

Leonardo stiffened and his expression fell so quickly it seemed like he was going to lose his even keel. The oldest turtle closed his eyes briefly, before bending over Mike. "Are you all right?"

"_No_, I'm not all right!" Mike's explosion surprised the others, but Leonardo simply reached to haul him to his feet.

"Get strapped in," Leonardo insisted. "We're not even close to being safe yet." Mike saw the lingering glance the blue-masked turtle gave Lajos. "I'm sorry," he said more quietly.

The Ruairi backed away. "We cannot do this now, Leonardo, and you are not the one who needs to be sorry. Please go and make sure that Bahri is doing what he must for us to escape."


	80. Leading

Ghyath was striving to remain outwardly calm as the temptation to panic resounded in the back of his mind. The only thing that prevented the elohim from giving in to the desire was the team around him, and the fact that he had a responsibility to make certain that they made it out of Central.

After boarding the transporter that would take them through the maintenance track, Ghyath's eyes drifted to Yasir. Shukri still had a strong grip on the Overlord, not even loosening him now that they were onboard the car, but he was not looking at Yasir. Shukri was focusing on anything _but _the Doctor.

Ghyath couldn't help wondering if the elohim was suffering under some kind of guilt or a fear of reprisal. Shukri had been under Yasir's tutorage for a _long_ time, and the idea that he'd turned from the Overlords at all was a surprise to him. Ghyath could say nothing about the Assistant from his own experience, but Kenric had insisted that Shukri's conversion was real, so he'd had no choice but to accept it.

Fury was coming off of the Doctor in such strong waves that his violet eyes appeared to be bulging out of his head as he took turns glaring at each of them. Ghyath stared right back when Yasir focused on him, hardly resisting the urge to scowl.

Now, more than ever, part of him wanted to kill the Overlord and rid Zuhur of him once and for all. Ghyath found that he was unconsciously clutching the trigger of his rifle, and had to rapidly release his fingers. _I cannot kill an unarmed captive, not matter how many people he has k__illed. It is not my job arrange revenge. I would have enjoyed being inside his Lab with the others. Destroying Yasir's life work would have been much more painful for the Doctor than murdering him. _The thought almost made Ghyath laugh, and Yasir murmured something angrily which was unintelligible behind the gag. _Shutting Yasir up was a stroke of genius on Donatello's part._

Ghyath glanced over at the purple-masked terrapin, admiring the way that Donatello held onto the woman that he loved so dearly. _I am sure that he would rather have his hands free to fight, but he is determined that no one will take her away from him again. _The golden-eyed elohim swallowed as concern for Jenna pulsed through him. _I hope that Yasir has not done anything to permanently injure her mind. I would hate to think that we could go through all of this, and Donatello would be this close to her without the possibility of actually _getting_ her back. I cannot imagine anything worse than that._

Ghyath shifted to check the display that was broadcasting their current location on the maintenance track. They had a few minutes to go before they would even be in range of one of the hangars, and it made sense to finalize a plan _before_ they arrived where they needed to be.

"We need to talk about a ship," Ghyath stated, looking first at Alcinius. He dearly wanted his former Commanding officer to take charge, but as of yet, Alcinius hadn't tried to control their direction. _Kamryn had more to do with our detour than anyone else._

"I don't understand what's wrong with the one you came in with," the girl said.

Ghyath shook his head. "One of our contacts went to move it to another floor for us. When he tried to reenter the landing strip, the Overlords would not allow him to land. They are not letting _anything_ into the hangars right now, but most of the Interceptors are already gone."

Donatello tensed. "They're after my brothers," he stated with difficulty. "I wish I could talk to them. I'm dying to know what's going on."

"They are not in the clear yet," Ghyath told him. "I am sure they will let us know when they are."

The terrapin nodded unhappily. "Then we're just going to steal the first convenient thing that we find?"

Ghyath shook his head, eyeing Yasir. "That is sort of the idea, but only to escape from Central. The intention would still be to switch it out for Alcinius' ship."

"How are we going to—" Donatello started, cutting off when Ghyath gave him a pointed look, and glanced at Yasir again.

_Do not ask me to lay out every detail of our escape to our enemy, terrapin. He may be contained for the moment, but I do not want him to be aware of what we are doing._

Donatello nodded again, appearing to understand without Ghyath being forced to explain his hesitation. The golden-eyed elohim wasn't even certain that the course of action he had in mind was the right one, but based on the number of enemy crafts filling the neighborhood and the deteriorating atmospheric conditions that had been passed on, he had been forced to make a decision without consulting the rest of the team. _I hope that it will not prove to be our downfall. I do not want to be responsible for that. If I can only assure that the rest of them are able to escape safely, that would be enough for me._

Ghyath motioned for silence as the transporter finally made it's ascent in the direction of the hangars, approaching the first set of gears underneath the lowest of the landing strips. Stepping off the car, the elohim searched for the overhead panel they could use to access the hangar, and stretched both arms to pull himself up.

Ghyath peered out of the tunnel silently, searching for enemies. He didn't immediately see anyone in sight, but he could hear others inside the hangar, and felt the reverberations coming from moving ships. Carefully he pulled himself up the rest of the way, and motioned to Shukri to give him Yasir.

The Overlord struggled fiercely as Ghyath lifted him over his shoulder, and the elohim held onto his collar so tightly that he was certain he was probably strangling Yasir. He kept a belligerent Yasir under control as the rest of the team joined him. He couldn't help but smile as he watched Kamryn boost herself out with ease. _We all underestimated her to the point that it is almost humorous. I am _glad _Yasir got to see this._

Kamryn's cat eyes glowed faintly as she glanced left and right, wary of their surroundings.

"What do you smell?" Ghyath asked.

"We're not alone, but you already knew that. Surely you hear the Overlords as well as I."

"Yes, but not _as_ well," he emphasized.

Kamryn smiled at him. "No matter what happens, thanks for caring about what happened to me."

"Of course," he told her. "We will be happy to kidnap you any time."

She laughed softly. "I'm glad to hear it. Have you found a ship?"

He nodded toward a lone Interceptor that was sitting in the midst of larger ships. Ghyath had a feeling the craft had only been left behind because it wasn't in proper battle condition, but they didn't need to go very far with it.

Alcinius came to his side. "Are we taking it?"

"Yes," he whispered back. "Slowly now, everyone; do not make a sound."

Ghyath hefted Yasir over his shoulder again, not trusting the squirming Overlord to even walk by himself. Abducting the Doctor had never entered his wildest dreams, but neither had most of the things they'd already done that night. He swept Yasir's crystal across the key-pad of the hatch, and gained instant access to the Interceptor without the need for a code. _The Superiors do have their advantages._

The cabin of the small black ship only seated six, but that was plenty for this group. Ghyath deposited Yasir into a seat and motioned to Shukri. "He is yours once more. I am going to the controls."

Alcinius followed him to the cockpit, sitting down beside him as he punched the control panel to bring the craft to life.

His Commander inhaled sharply. "_The energy cells are too low, Ghyath! This is not a good idea._"

"_We do not have to travel far to meet back up with your ship,_" Ghyath reassured him. "_I regret to say that your craft will probably not survive the night_."

"_You have something up your sleeve, is that it_?"

"_It was Kenric's idea, actually, but I will tell you more about it later_." Ghyath busied himself with readying the controls, not elaborating on the situation even though he could have. He had a feeling that Alcinius would object to the plan, and he didn't want to take the time to argue.

Ghyath began guiding the Interceptor through the rows of larger crafts in the back, and then forced a couple of Overlords who were meandering around to scatter off the launch strip. _Out of my way_, he thought insistently. _I do not want to run you over, but I will if I have to_. It was clear that someone was trying to flag him down, but the elohim ignored him.

A message droned over the radio. "_Interceptor 2352_, _you do not have clearance to take off at this time_."

Ghyath glanced at Alcinius, but didn't answer the hail.

"_Interceptor, power down the ship and return to formation. If you refuse to comply we will consider your actions in direct violation of the Great Altus—"_

Ghyath reached to turn the volume down, and then put as much speed under the ship as he dared. He had to be careful not to use up what little energy the craft possessed in one fell swoop. He made eye contact with Alcinius one last time before throttling up and taking flight off the strip.

Ghyath was positive they would be pursued, and their particular Interceptor would be black-listed. He was half-tempted to inform the person on the other side of the radio that they had Yasir to discourage assailants from shooting them down, but there was no telling if it would be enough to prevent their deaths.

The golden-eyed elohim breathed in and out deeply as he surveyed flashes both near and far from their position, noting that there were several small skirmishes taking place. _Just get to the building. Get to that ship. We have to make it._ A rumble under his feet and the faint shimmer of a phosphorus glow told Ghyath that an enemy was already on their tail.

_The shield could drain our energy too quickly as well if I am not careful! We only need to make it a couple of blocks. _Ghyath took evasive action, whipping the ship into a controlled free-fall through a narrow gap between two buildings to help shake the craft that was behind them.

He was only gaining a little distance and further draining energy that they didn't have to spare. _But if we get shot down before we arrive at our goal, we will be no better off! _Ghyath was trying to focus on his instruments rather than panicking, paying as much attention to how near their assailant was as to where he was heading.

He brought the Interceptor around in a tight semi-circle as he sighted the tall structure that bore their salvation. As Ghyath came in for a landing, he noticed that Alcinius' ship already appeared to be powered up and ready to leave. _This is going to work. It has got to. _As he decreased his speed in order to descend, their tail was gaining uncomfortable ground.

The Interceptor skidding slightly upon setting down, but Ghyath felt lucky that he hadn't driven the ship over the edge of the launch pad in his haste. He and Alcinius dashed back into the cabin, and Ghyath snatched Yasir off the seat.

"Come, follow me!" he urged the other passengers, leading the way out of the hatch.

Ghyath heard laser fire the moment he hit the roof, but he had to continue forward. Only the momentary vulnerability could deliver them to safety. Alcinius was jogging to his right, pressing closer to him with every step they took. As the golden-eyed elohim turned his head to inform the others of what they were about to do, he saw laser fire right on top of them.

In the time it took him to realize that it was coming, Alcinius had already shoved Ghyath out of the path. The shock of watching his Commander go down made him lose his grip on Yasir, and the Doctor instantly rolled away from him. At that point, Ghyath couldn't have cared less; he was too concerned for Alcinius.

He scooped up the broad figure of his oldest friend, clutching him to his chest as he crossed around the blind side of Alcinius' ship. Rather than reaching for the hatch Ghyath bent down toward the roof, ripping open the roof panel that had been concealed by the craft. It was unlocked, just as Kenric had promised.

Ghyath darted down through it without taking the time to tell the others what was happening, trusting that they would follow him. He heaved for air as he waited for the rest of the team to join him.

"Did anyone see Yasir?" was the first thing he could get out.

"He looked like he was flagging down that ship!" Donatello returned. "Ghyath, what the shell are we _doing_?"

"There are too many enemies out there and far too treacherous weather conditions afoot to make a clean escape in a ship," he explained.

"But will they not simply follow us into the building?" Shukri demanded.

"They do not know we came in this way," Ghyath said. "Kenric is piloting Alcinius' ship by remote. They are supposed to believe that we are fleeing as I speak. We are going to bury ourselves in hiding, and then escape when things have calmed back down," he finished numbly, gazing down at his prone friend.

"Ghyath, is he all right?" Donatello ventured.

The elohim didn't meet the terrapin's gaze. "No. For him, it is over," he said quietly. "But not yet for us. Come, friends. We have assistance available on this very level. We need to take cover and wait for the storm to pass."

Although he sounded calm, Ghyath wanted to curse or at least bang his head against the wall. The limp body of his Commander was heavy, but nowhere near as ponderous as his legs had suddenly become. He glanced back at the others following him, and remembered why he'd never wanted to be put in this position to begin with. _I am not fit to lead; not fit to tell anyone else what to do. It should have been me, not him. It should have been me._


	81. Storm

Staring at the black mass on the radar that indicated the direction they were traveling, Leonardo couldn't say that he didn't feel intimidated. Yet he still didn't flinch when Bahri spoke for the first time in five minutes.

"You want me to fly into _that_."

"Yes, Bahri, but only if you think there's a good chance that we'll make it out alive."

The beleaguered elohim brushed damp blonde hair off of his forehead. "I said that there was a _chance_, Leonardo; I did not tell you that it was a good one! To fly into the heart of that storm would never be something that I present as the best option."

"Well, what if it's your only option?" Leo retorted. "You said it yourself, the energy cells are already depleted from recharging the shield, and we're still dealing with those tails. If our choice is to take our chances with the Overlords or that storm, then I pick the storm. What do you say, Bahri? Can it be done?"

"I have heard of someone making it through a _hadelija_, terrapin, but I have more often been told of failures. If we do this, I am going to be flying blind. The instruments, the radar, communications…none of them are going to function inside of that. The stabilizers can aid our ship against the wind, but if we are struck by an up-draft, it will be the end of us. I cannot even detect where the winds are the strongest without my sensors!"

Leonardo leaned over the elohim from behind his seat. "Can you think of another way for us to outrun the enemies chasing us?"

Bahri was silent for a few seconds. "No, I cannot, Leonardo," he said tightly, and then exhaled shakily. "I suppose we are down to this last option, whether I like it or not. I think that you should go get strapped in with your brothers in the cabin."

"There's nothing I could do to help you here?"

"Leonardo, the only thing that will 'help' us get through this storm in one piece is prayer. I will dedicate myself to that starting now, and I would ask that the rest of you do the same."

"Okay," the blue-masked turtle replied. "I'm going to go talk to the others and explain what's happening. I'll check back with you in a little while, Bahri."

The elohim nodded unhappily, and Leonardo felt guilty for putting him in the difficult position of responsibility. _But it's not up to him to provide success, _a small voice reminded the turtle. _The battle doesn't belong to you._

Leonardo sighed wearily. _It sure felt like it did tonight, _he answered the thought. _It seems like we made an absolute mess of things, and a lot of people paid the price for it. _He swallowed as emotion threatened to overwhelm his mind.

The sight of Lajos sitting in the cabin was enough to precipitate a near breakdown. Only hours before he'd been experiencing nothing but anger and regret toward the Ruairi, and now they had the aliens to thank for the fact that they'd escaped at all. He didn't know what to say to Lajos, because he wasn't sure how he felt _himself_.

The dishonor of their attempted murder and abandonment in the wilderness was not something he could erase from his memory, but the sacrificial way that the Ruairi had come to their aid tonight was overriding it.

Leonardo found Lajos gazing at him; his gold-rimmed eyes were dry and without tears. _Their emotional responses to situations could be very different from ours, _he reasoned with himself. _They have their own unique nature and culture that they live by, and I can't expect them to react the way a human might._

He decided to keep his mouth shut about Achaz and the Ruairi for the time being, and explain their present circumstances to everyone instead. "Stay strapped in," he told Raphael when he started to rise. "We're about to do something crazy."

"Really?" Brandon asked faintly. "Because that would be a first."

Leonardo chose a seat beside Michelangelo, snapping his belt shut before he bothered to continue. "There's a _hadelija_ ahead of us, which is basically their version of a 'super' sandstorm. We're going to take advantage of it."

Raphael cocked his head. "Why do I get the feeling you mean that we're about to be in a lot more danger?"

"We're _already_ in danger," Leo corrected. "We won't be able to stay ahead of our pursuers forever. Our energy cells are getting lower by the minute…so we're choosing Nature over our enemies."

The red-masked turtle groaned loudly. "So we're flying right into the storm – is that it? That's great, Fearless. It's exactly what we were all waiting to hear."

Leonardo gave him a sharp glance. "Do you have another plan?"

"I do! Teleportation!" Mike inserted, shooting a look at Lajos. "How come you guys haven't invented that yet?"

The Ruairi stared back at the orange-masked turtle as if he'd sprouted a second head. "I do not know what you are talking about, but I _do_ know of many cases where ships took on a sandstorm and did not come back out."

Leonardo nodded. "Bahri said something similar. If someone would rather surrender to the Overlords, speak now, or forever hold your peace." He glanced across the semi-circle slowly, and it became apparent that no one was prepared to argue the point farther.

"I'm sorry that it's come down to this, guys," Leo said. "But we're not doing this by ourselves. Joshua said that the hand of God has been on our lives since we arrived here, and…I'm inclined to believe him. I'm also bold enough to believe that this God who wants us to help the Nalikjan is capable of getting us safely through the storm.

"I prefer that no one talk for a little while. Let's just be quiet and pray however we know how. Bahri's going to do his best not to get us killed, but he's not ultimately responsible for our lives."

Leonardo felt chills when he relaxed against his seat, as if the temperature in the cabin was dropping. His eyes flicked over to Lajos, who was lightly grasping the arm of the injured Ruairi beside him. _I didn't like the idea of risking ourselves to set the Ruairi free, but I did it because I felt like it was the right thing. Now I can't help wondering if we would have made it this far without them, or if we'd be rotting in some Overlords' cell._

He looked away from the aliens, focusing on a window instead. It was already dark enough outside that he couldn't see anything, but the sound of whistling in the air was enough confirmation of the direction they were heading. Leonardo gripped the arms of his seat tightly and closed his eyes for a few moments.

_We've been backed into a corner, God. If there's anything that you can do to help us, we'd really appreciate it. We're committed to seeing this battle through with the Nalikjan, if you'll just get us out of this. _Leonardo shook his head at himself. _Bargaining with God already? Well, I'm at a point where I'll try anything._

The sound of rumbling surrounded them, and the craft shook violently. Leonardo's flight experience was limited to what few trips he'd taken on the family's Gulfstream jet at home. While some of the trips had been a considerable distance, he'd never felt anything but some very light turbulence. There was little comparison between that and the phenomena happening around them that instant. The severity of the shaking reminded the turtle much more of an earthquake, which he sadly had some experience with too.

The overhead lighting that had been casting a cold glow over the space went out, and then there was nothing to drive away the consuming darkness outside the window. A particularly bad jolt elicited a gasp that sounded a lot like Brandon.

"Man, don't try to get up," he heard Raphael instruct him. "Don't you _dare_ get outta that seatbelt!"

"If we're going down—"

"We're not going down, Bran. We're not. You're okay; we're _all_ gonna be okay," Raphael insisted. "Just sit tight and hang on."

The lights thankfully flickered back on. It made Leonardo feel better, even though it didn't provide for anything concerning their safety. He glanced to his right at Michelangelo, suddenly realizing how quiet his youngest brother had gotten.

"Mike? Are you all right?" he asked. "How's your head?"

"It's fine," he said quickly. "I just…I wish we knew if Donny was okay, y'know?"

Leonardo was afraid for him too, but he tried to give his little brother a brave smile. "Between him, Ghyath, and Alcinius, I'm sure he got out, Mike. No news is good news for now."

"Couldn't we _try_ to call 'em or something?"

Leo shook his head. "Not in the middle of the storm, no. Bahri said none of that stuff would be working. We just have to wait until we're on the other side of it."

"Any idea how long that will be?" Brandon spoke up.

"Not a clue, Brandon; I'm sorry," Leonardo answered.

Raphael thumped the man across the back heartily. "What do you say to some alphabetical insults, Bran?"

"I'd say I'm more interested in living long enough to see another sunrise," the man said honestly. "Leo, are we stuck in here? Could we get out if we needed to?"

The blue-masked turtle shrugged. "I don't know anything about this phenomenon, Brandon." _I'm just the idiot who told our pilot to fly inside of it,_ he added silently. _It seemed like the best option at the time, but I really hope this doesn't end up as suicide. _

He seriously considered going up front to talk to the elohim, but was distracted by a soft hiss of pain from Lajos' direction. The Ruairi was practically doubled over in his seat, giving away the first hint that anything was wrong with him.

"Lajos, are you hurt?" Leonardo demanded.

"No, I am only—" The Ruairi cut off with a stronger gasp as the plane jolted unsteadily to the right.

"You _are_ hurt!" Leo proclaimed, unbuckling his belt.

"Terrapin, what are you doing?" Lajos was irritated. "Do you want to take flight like your brother did?"

The blue-masked turtle ignored the question, dropping to his knees to lessen the likelihood of losing his balance. "How are you injured?"

"It is only a couple of burns," the Ruairi admitted. "The pain is…tolerable."

"Yeah, I can see that," he said sardonically. "Where are you hiding them?"

Lajos tugged on the left side of his cloak, revealing where tunic and flesh underneath had been seared. Leonardo gazed probingly at the wounds to try and determine their depth.

"I think that it merely destroyed a few surface layers," Lajos told him.

"It doesn't look that great," Leo told him.

"It will be all right. Mahir is the one in need of medical assistance." Lajos pointed to his companion. "But he has _you_ to thank for the opportunity to receive it. I am in your debt."

Leonardo's brow furrowed as he gazed at the Ruairi he'd snatched out of the air. "I wouldn't call you in my 'debt', Lajos."

"He is my _brother_, Leonardo" Lajos said meaningfully.

"Do you mean that you're actually related?"

"Yes. We were rarely separated. When I took the assignment that required going to Zuhur, he would not let me come alone. Now it comes to this and I am forced to see him stricken…I regret that it was not me instead."

Leonardo shook his head. "It's easy to feel that way; I understand, believe me. But your brother wouldn't wish this on you, would he?"

Lajos looked at the other Ruairi. "I cannot take his place either way, no matter what he or I desire." He stared at his brother for a silent beat before turning back to Leonardo. "You are not responsible for us, terrapin. If I were of the Nalikjan, I would not want Ruairi anywhere near Zokcimel. All I ask for is some means by which I can communicate with my people to call for help."

Leonardo folded his arms. "Your kind saved us tonight, Lajos. Bahri straight out told you that he forgave you. Do you think we're just going to drop you in the wilderness somewhere?"

Lajos began to sit up farther, but then sank down with a cringe. "I would not blame you if you did."

The blue-masked turtle rose carefully from the floor. "You're not getting left behind, Lajos, so I don't want you to be worried about anything."

As Leonardo steadied himself on one of the seats, he was suddenly drawn to the window again. He saw a couple pulses of light flash so brilliantly in the night sky that the clouds of dust and sand were briefly illuminated.

Fear was the first thing to strike his heart, but the sound of the wind became strangely muffled and made him curious. Leonardo carefully made his way to the window and waited. Mere seconds passed before the pulses repeated, one right after another.

"Leo, what _is_ that?" Raphael called.

"I don't know!" he returned. "Hang on!"

The blue-masked turtle started for the cockpit so quickly that he was surprised he didn't stumble. When he rounded the corner, he found Bahri staring straight ahead without blinking. Leonardo reached to touch his shoulder, but froze when he saw the sight that had captured the elohim.

There was menacing darkness ahead of them for as far as his eyes could see, but the strange pulses of light that he'd seen around the ship were also cutting a path directly _through_ the center of the storm.

After several seconds, Bahri looked at Leonardo. "The stabilizers are not in use," he said hoarsely. "They failed a few minutes ago."

It was only then that the turtle realized how smooth their flight had become. "Is this…does this happen? Are there calm places in the middle of the storms, like the eye of a hurricane?"

All Bahri could do was shake his head. "I have never heard of one, but I am _staying_ on this course. Do you see how the pulses gradually descend? I think that we are supposed to follow them."

"As in land?"

"If that is where it leads us."

"That might be for the best, if it can be done somewhere safely. Mahir needs medical attention, and Lajos is hurt too."

"There will be some emergency supplies onboard the ship probably," Bahri acknowledged. "Landing could also give us some time for the energy cells to regenerate."

Leonardo returned to gazing at the lights that were breaking up the danger before their very eyes, and felt goosebumps rising on his neck. The turtle had seen a lot of amazing things in his days, but this particular night was making him feel like a child who'd been exposed to true power for the first time.


	82. Hiding

Donatello was having a hard time settling down, even after being smuggled into another "apartment" without incident. It was extremely ironic to him that they were hiding directly under the Overlords' noses, but the sheer unexpectedness of the move struck him as genius. He hadn't relished the idea of being shot down by enemy air ships, so he wasn't disappointed in any case.

Shukri had wasted no time in helping him get Jenna settled into a little room out of the way, where she could begin receiving the cleanser to purge the serum from her bloodstream. The elohim doctor hadn't said very much about her condition though, and it left the turtle on edge.

"Shukri, she's going to be all right, isn't she?"

The alien looked at him swiftly. "I have not detected anything dire as far as her vitals are concerned, but you know her better than I, terrapin. Kenric told me that you have a medical background of your own."

"Yeah, but it's different," Don muttered. "I don't know what Yasir has been _doing_ to her."

Shukri motioned to a chair. "Sit down, Donatello. You are making me nervous, pacing around like that. I understand your fear for her, but Yasir has been doing this for a long time…and I have been doing it _with_ him." He exhaled deeply. "It is hard to believe the depths that we are capable of sinking to. I saw the Doctor do terrible things in the name of advancing our knowledge and our race. With shame I admit that I followed Yasir, and even looked up to him at one time.

"That being said, I know every detail of what he did with Jenna. The Doctor is fastidious with notations of all that interests him. He performed some tests with the DNA he extracted, and he intervened when her condition required it…but Yasir did nothing to bring intentional harm to the babies or your young woman."

"You can call her my wife." Donatello was amused once more by the title so many of the elohim used to describe Jenna, but the smile was temporary.

The purple-masked turtle took the seat to the right of the raven-haired woman. She looked more like she was sleeping now, which comforted him because it was the same thing that had happened to Michelangelo when _he'd_ received the cleanser. _Yasir's serum didn't do irreparable damage to Mike, and it shouldn't have permanent effects on Jen either. But she was probably receiving it for a lot longer than he did…_

"Donatello?"

Shukri's voice called him back from contemplation, and Donny glanced in the elohim's direction.

"I am going to speak with Kenric and Ghyath. I will return shortly, unless you would prefer some privacy. I will not be offended."

Don rose to his feet once more. "Okay. Let me know if you hear from my brothers or the other team." He extended a hand toward Shukri. "I just want to thank you for everything. I don't know if I could have gotten her out of the Lab without you."

The elohim shook his hand awkwardly, unused to the gesture. "You are the one who discerned how to get Yasir to open the door, terrapin. It is a very liberating feeling to finally be free of him. I think I ought to be thanking _you_."

Donatello chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're out of a job now. If only you could find some other way to put those medical skills to work…say helping the Nalikjan?"

"There is nothing else I would rather do, Donatello."

As the alien started for the door, Don called after him.

"Shukri, what about Kamryn? I know her condition is kind of complicated. Do you have the knowledge or the means to keep her stable?"

Shukri nodded. "I know many of Yasir's formulas by heart, because of how many years I assisted in their production. Kamryn's case has always been tricky as far as the stability of her cells is concerned, but then, I have been working on some side projects of my _own_. It is my hope that I will one day have a permanent solution for her."

"That's good to hear, Shukri."

The elohim nodded at him thoughtfully. "Call me if you need me, Donatello. Otherwise I will return to check on things in about an hour."

After Shukri left the turtle sat back down, scooting his chair closer to Jenna's side. He reached for her hand, lightly exploring long fingers that were perfect for playing her instrument of choice. He turned her hand over, searching for the callouses that Jenna had built up over years of practice on her acoustic guitar. He was dismayed to discover little evidence left of the protective barriers, frowning at once. _Jenna's going to hate that, but it shouldn't take her long to develop new callouses. _

Donny set her hand back down and smoothed ebony hair off of her face. _She would probably insist that she needs a couple of inches cut off, though I never understood how so little makes a difference. No doubt she'd be pulling it up every single day, refusing to leave it down until she could get Karina to give her a trim._

He was bothered by the paleness of her skin, but reasoned with himself that she probably hadn't seen sunlight in months. _Jenna has spent less time outside _here_ than she gets to living underground with us. _Donny's thoughts fell silent for a beat as he gazed at the infusion pump that was feeding into her other wrist. _I'm waiting around for her to wake up…now _this_ is a switch._

There was a quiet knock on the door, right before the hatch slipped open again. Jazz ventured into the room and held out a link to him. "I've got Leo for you." Her voice barely registered.

Donatello leaped to his feet. "_Thanks_, Jazz." He immediately slipped the accompanying earpiece into place. "Hello? Leo?"

"Hey, Don." There was both relief and heaviness in his oldest brother's tone. "I've already kind of heard about how things ended up, but I needed to talk to you myself. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, and Jen is okay. We're not out of Arcadia yet, but I think we'll be all right. It was a weird feeling not having you around, Leo, but Ghyath and Shukri really came through for us. Not everyone made it, unfortunately."

"I heard about Alcinius," Leonardo acknowledged somberly. "I also heard that Ghyath isn't talking to anyone."

Donny's brow creased. "Well, _that's_ not going to help anything. I hope he isn't blaming himself for this."

"I think the Nalikjan are particularly gifted at accepted guilt, Don."

The purple-masked turtle winced. "Are _you_ guys all right?"

Leonardo sighed heavily. "In a manner of speaking. We were ambushed, chased, shot at…and we took on a sandstorm. Do you think that's enough excitement for one evening?"

"Your ship survived a sandstorm?"

"It wasn't by luck, Don. Something happened…you would have had to see it to believe it. We found an opening and managed to land safely in the heart of a small canyon. Bahri's taking the opportunity to treat a few injuries, and allowing the energy cells some time to regenerate before we head back to Zokcimel."

"_Injuries_? Who's hurt and how?"

"Nothing serious, Don, at least I don't think so. Bahri has a twisted ankle from a jump he wasn't ready for, and Raph bruised the heck out of his side. The real injuries..." Leonardo hesitated. "It was the Ruairi. They came back for us, Bro, and they truly saved our shells. We were cornered by sentries, and they created a massive disruption then covered our getaway. "

Donatello's knees felt weak, so he quickly sat back down. "Why did they come back, Leo?"

"A change of heart or mind possibly. I don't know, Don, but they put themselves in the line of fire and sacrificed their lives in the process. Only two of them made it out with us."

"Achaz?"

"He was the last to go. Achaz went down saving our ship."

Don swallowed as words escaped him for a moment. "Wow, I never thought..."

"So." Leonardo cleared his throat as though he was forcing down emotion. "I just needed to hear your voice, and now I'll be able to tell everyone that you're okay."

"We are," Donatello said mechanically. "I'm sure that Ghyath will get us out of here once things clear up."

"Make sure that he does, Don. I don't want to make any more trips like this last one for a long time."

* * *

><p>Donatello didn't budge from Jenna's side until Shukri came back to the room, and only then because he had an overwhelming urge to check on Ghyath. He couldn't help feeling a measure of responsibility for the events of the evening, considering how hard he'd pushed for the mission to go through.<p>

He shuffled wearily through the hall, out into the open area of the apartment where the others had congregated before. Donatello saw no sign of Jazz or Kamryn, but Kenric was still in the far corner exchanging words with someone over a link. Donny headed toward the elohim.

"Excuse me, Kenric. I'm sorry to bother you."

"Hello, terrapin. Are you ready to get some sleep?"

"Uh, no…not quite. I'm going to stay with Jen, but I was hoping that I could connect with Ghyath real quick. Do you know where he is?"

Kenric nodded, pointing down another passage. "He went to the room at the end of the other hall a couple of hours ago, and asked me not to disturb him. I cannot say if he will speak to you, Donatello, but you are welcome to try."

Donatello felt trepidation stirring as he trotted down the second hallway, which dead-ended into another long narrow room with a wall full of windows. He instantly felt exposed, but the dark tint of the glass led the turtle to believe that there was no danger of accidentally being seen from the high rise.

He stared at the back of an elohim who was leaning forward on the couch, back hunched as though it weighed an enormous amount. "Ghyath?"

The alien looked over his shoulder, his features hidden in the darkness of the space. "Donatello. How is Jenna?"

"She's okay…at least, that's what Shukri thinks. Mike snapped out of it, so I'm believing that she will too."

"Good, terrapin; you should keep believing that," he replied hoarsely.

Donatello came further into the room and settled down on the opposite end of the cushioned lounge. "Ghyath, how are _you_?" he asked, merely to get the ball rolling.

The elohim averted his gaze to the wall of windows, waiting so long to speak that Donatello wasn't sure if he would answer him. "It feels like a dream, Donatello," he said at last. "As if none of it actually happened. And when that last scene goes through my mind again, I wish that it _was_ a dream. It was not supposed to end that way."

Don shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry that you lost your friend. He was very brave."

"He was better than I," Ghyath answered. "Being in this situation feels like a cruel irony. Alcinius is the one that I followed in my youth…and I wanted to follow him again tonight, but he would not take the lead. Then he made certain that I would live, while putting himself in jeopardy. It is almost enough to make me…"

"Make you what?"

"_Angry_," he said honestly. "It was not the time for him to die. If anything, I had intended for the rest of you to escape unto my _own_ dying breath."

Donny weighed his words for a few silent seconds, and then took the plunge. "Are you determined to die, Ghyath?"

"I am determined to do whatever it takes to see the Overlords conquered. Death is but a small price to pay for my own share in their wickedness."

The turtle took a sharp breath. "Is that what you think? That dying for the Nalikjan is the only way to absolve your guilt before God?"

"This is not about El, Donatello; it is about _me_," Ghyath insisted. "El's forgiveness is constantly renewing, but that does not make me forget the past."

Donatello rested his forehead in one hand for an exhausted moment. "So God forgives you, but you're not allowed to forgive yourself."

"If I was capable of doing that, I already would have."

"You're wrong. Things can change. Hearts can turn, like the Ruairi did tonight, and saved my brothers in the process."

Ghyath stiffened. "They did what?"

"The Ruairi helped my brothers escape, and paid with their lives…including Achaz."

The elohim caught his breath. "I did not know."

"My point is…when forgiveness is offered, you always have a choice of what to do with it. You showed the Ruairi mercy when they didn't deserve it, and gave them the chance to save themselves. They could have run away like we told them to. If they weren't able to accept your forgiveness, I'm sure they would have. But they chose to take you seriously enough that they returned to help instead.

"You have a choice too, Ghyath, and it sounds like you need to make it. If your God is capable of forgiving your past, then you should be able to accept it, and not treat your life like its expendable." Don paused for another second.

"My brothers and I aren't the only ones who were 'chosen'. We're not the _only_ ones who've been brought to this point, to this hour to pull off something impossible. I see the power of your spirit, and I know how rare it is. I believe this El wants to use you, if you're willing to let him. Can you accept that you could serve another purpose besides dying?"

Ghyath didn't have an answer for him.

Donatello shook his head and laid a hand on the elohim's arm. "You may think that the greatest way you can serve your people is by sacrificing yourself for them, Ghyath, but if they don't have strong leaders…your group doesn't have a leg to stand on."


	83. Rage & Responsibility

The rhythmic pounding was such a welcome sensation that it was an almost euphoric experience for the red-masked turtle. It had been weeks—months since he'd been able to lay into a punching bag, and the surprising release waiting for him back at Zokcimel had also proved to be very timely.

It had only been an off the cuff remark he'd muttered to Bahri when the elohim had questioned him about his weapons, something about settling for a punching bag if nothing else. Raphael had assumed the alien wouldn't know what he was talking about, but when he returned to their room, the "sparring partner" was waiting for him.

With eagerness he'd jumped on the bag almost immediately, hoping to work off some of the excess tension that was nagging because they hadn't been reunited with Donatello and Jenna yet. But over the course of a few minutes that turned into an hour, anxiety had morphed into fury. Not even the lingering knot in his side from colliding with a building was powerful enough to slow him down.

Raphael wasn't one to rehash a mission. He liked to leave that sort of contemplation to Leonardo, who would then review with the rest of them concerning what went well, what had gone wrong, and possibly how they could do things differently in the future. But at the same time, the callous slaughter of their "defenders" and the report of further elohim casualties which had resulted from their divisionary tactic were weighing him down.

It was an unusual feeling to have someone other than his family trying to protect him, and he didn't like it. _Shell, it's not the elohims' job to die for us! It shouldn't have been up to them to do that. It ain't right! _The red-masked turtle swallowed as he braced for another attack, glaring at the sandbag as if it could readily defend itself from his anger.

_We were the ones who were supposed to save Jenna. WE should have been there for Donny and stuck together like we always do. None of the others needed to die. Nobody had to pay that price just because of us – it ain't RIGHT! _The words resounded in his head a second time while he resumed his livid assault with a series of strikes and a roundhouse kick that made the entire sandbag shudder. The gilded chains supporting the bag didn't falter however, and the turtle begrudgingly admired the construction. _Those things are probably fashioned from that Arsiterite stuff. If we took that alloy home with us, I probably wouldn't destroy as many things. _

The fleeting thought of home made sadness fight for a dominant position in his heart, as he pictured the beautiful Latin woman that he loved. Karina never _stopped_ him from venting outright, but she always knew the appropriate time to "interrupt". _She'd probably be standing here right now, reminding me that it won't make me feel better in the long run, that I ought to be talking to someone. _Talking_ isn't gonna bring any of those aliens back. It's not gonna make up for what happened out there, or give us a better shot against the Overlords._

In a flash sadness was overtaken, and he gladly launched back into anger. With no one and nothing to stand in his way, the onslaught of his defenseless opponent continued until the turtle was heaving for breath, and his side was burning. Raphael paused to gulp oxygen greedily, judging from how light his head felt that it really _was_ time to take a break.

He backed away from the punching bag, dropping onto the edge of Leonardo's bed since it was the closest. _It's not fair. It's not _fair_. We didn't ask for any of this, or for the elohim and Ruairi to help us, but now we gotta deal with the fact that a bunch of them bit the dust so we wouldn't have to. _

Raphael rested his chin in his hand, secretly wishing that the voice in his mind would shut up and give him a few minutes of peace. _No more talking, no more _anything_. _The red-masked turtle passed about fifteen minutes in silence, allowing the sweat and heat he'd acquired from the exertion to drain away, until he was starting to feel a little cold.

With the change in temperature came the reminder of hunger too, but food was easy to ignore. _None of their stuff is worth eating unless you're starving anyway. _He reached for the blanket on the end of his brother's bed, but didn't move any further from his spot. Now that rage had temporarily subsided, depression was making him feel wearier than the workout had.

Raphael slowly sank on the bed until he was lying on his uninjured side, staring at the sparkling mineral deposits in the wall. _At least that was Donny's explanation for it, which sounds a lot more logical than Mike's "captured fairy dust" theory. _He was so close to nodding off that he jerked in surprise when he heard something at the door. He raised his head to see his blue-masked brother coming toward him.

Leonardo crossed his arms with a half smile. "Did you decide that we're switching beds?"

"Nah, it was just easier to crash in yours, Fearless. You had it looking all nice and inviting."

"Yours might not look bad either, if you went to the trouble of making it every now and then."

Raphael shook his head, pointing across the room at his perfectly tidy mattress. "Why should I do that when I've got little elves taking care of it?"

His brother looked annoyed at that. "Don't let the elohim clean up after you, Raph."

He shrugged. "I didn't ask 'em to do it, Leo, no more than I _asked_ them to die for me."

Leonardo shuffled to the end of the bed. "Sit up, Raph."

The red-masked turtle scooted to one side, and Leo sat down on the other end.

"I'm not any happier about this than you are," his older brother said. "It's definitely not what I had in mind when I picture creating a distraction. We could beat ourselves up over this, but ultimately, it won't help. _Ultimately,_ their deaths aren't on our heads. We didn't kill them…even if they did sacrifice themselves to help us."

"They didn't _have_ to die, Leo."

"No, they didn't, but the Overlords were the ones pulling the triggers." Leonardo hesitated for a moment, holding his gaze. "If the roles were different, and I was the one who'd died…do you think I'd want you to feel guilty for it?"

"No, but I probably _would_."

"Maybe for a while, Raph, but I think you'd eventually be able to let the responsibility lie where it actually falls. In wars, soldiers die—"

"This wasn't no war," he interrupted. "It was a rescue that _we_ were responsible for."

Leonardo gave him another pointed look. "Were _we_ responsible for the Akiudo, Bro? We didn't goad them into coming to the States that first time, or into kidnapping girls and selling them as slaves. It wasn't our fault that they tried to commit the largest terrorist strike that this world has ever seen. They weren't our responsibility, but we still went after them."

"'Cause it was the right thing to do, Leo! Somebody had to stop the Akiudo, whether we had an engraved invitation to step in or not."

Leo nodded. "It's the same thing, Raph. The way that the elohim and the Ruairi came to our aid, it's no different than that. They saw a need, they knew they had to intervene, and the rest is history."

"It _is_ different, Fearless," he retorted stubbornly.

"Only because _they're_ the ones who stepped in, Raph!" Leo countered. "If we'd come to their rescue, you'd say that we were only doing our job. Face it, Bro: you never like it when anyone else tries to sacrifice something for you. I mean, you punched _Brandon_." Leonardo ended with a hopeful smile.

"Well, maybe that'll teach him not to jump in front of bullets in the middle of the rainforest!"

The blue-masked turtle shook his head. "It won't. Brandon would do it again if the opportunity presented itself. You have to accept something, Raph; we aren't the only ones who are allowed to act like heroes."

Raphael sighed deeply. "I feel awful, Leo."

His brother's arm landed on his shoulder. "I know. I do too. But that doesn't make us responsible for their deaths. Things went wrong, and plans went awry. We never want to see anyone lose their life, but no one forced their hand any more than someone forces _ours_."

"I guess," Raphael allowed.

In the seconds of silence that followed, Leonardo's gaze landed on Raphael's knuckles and his eyes darkened. "You worked out! I _told_ you not to try that!"

"You sound shocked, Leo. _How_ long have you known me?"

His brother scowled at him. "You're not funny. I knew in my gut you wouldn't be able to resist that temptation. Why did I think it was safe to leave you alone with a punching bag?"

Raphael waved him off. "You're outta practice. Kari's been babysitting me for too long."

"I can't afford to be out of practice where you're concerned. _Tell_ me you didn't hurt yourself worse."

"Nah, Leo, I'm just wiped out 'cause the thing wouldn't die. I'm considering asking Bahri if I can take it home with us."

Leonardo's frown wavered. "I suppose we're all going to have our souvenirs, aren't we?"

The door to the room swung open once more without warning, so forcefully that it crashed against the rock on the other side. The moment the orange-masked turtle appeared, Raphael glared his direction.

"Go on and break it, why don't ya? What are you and your shellhead up to, Mikey?"

As the youngest turtle bounded toward him, he reminded Raphael more of Jazz's puppy than a hardened ninja warrior.

"They're coming back, they're on their way back!" Mike announced.

Leonardo was on his feet in an instant. "Donny's team?"

"Yeah, Bahri asked me to come find you guys. They already made it out of Arcadia, so it's only gonna be a few hours."

Raphael nodded with satisfaction. "That's great to hear at least. What about Jen? Is she coming around yet?"

Mike shook his head. "No. Bahri said it's probably gonna take longer with her because of how much of that serum she had built up. But she and the babies are supposed to be okay," he finished hastily.

"They were smart enough to bring a doctor out with them," Raphael agreed. "Everything's gotta work out. Man, I can't wait to see Donny's shell. I've got to hear about how this whole scene with Yasir went down."

Michelangelo snorted. "It sounds like Donny had a lot more fun than we did. That's the last time I let _him_ play the captive, especially since it was my idea!"

Raphael snickered. "Sure, Mikey. I'll make sure your name comes up first next time."

Mike gave the punching bag a playful swing as he walked past it. "Does it feel more like home now, Raphy?"

The red-masked turtle made a scoffing sound. "Sure, Bro. Maybe if I click my heels together a few times, we'll all be back in Kansas."

"I'd take Kansas over Zuhur," Mike replied. "It'd be a lot easier for Heff to come pick us up. Can you imagine how that conversation would go?"

Leo cocked his head. "What conversation?"

"If we picked up the phone and called Greg from Kansas. 'Hey, we're in the middle of a cornfield playing in crop circles! Come get us!'"

"You're crazy, Mike," Raphael told him.

"But could you see his face? He'd probably hit the roof."

Leonardo nodded. "He'd be shocked all right. I'm still holding out faith that we'll be able to surprise _all_ of them."

Mike leaned against the end of the bed. "Have you thought about what you'd say? Heroes always have some dramatic line to deliver at that moment, when everything turns out okay, even though you thought that it wouldn't. Of course, most movies are so predictable, and everyone wants a happy ending, so you know everything is gonna be okay before it even—"

"Hey, Motor-mouth, you lost me about a hundred words ago," Raphael cut him off.

"All I'm saying is, we should be thinking about what we wanna _say_ before we get there."

Raphael exhaled longingly. "Kari and Liv aren't gonna care nothing about what I have to say, Chucklehead, so I ain't making a plan in advance. What do you think, Leo?"

Leonardo rested his arms on his knees. "I'm pretty much on the same page as you, Raph. If you try to _plan_ a speech, it could come across as either being cheesy or forced. The key is to let it flow."

Mike laughed. "This from the guy who plans ten steps in advance of everything he does? I'm surprised you don't have to schedule time to go to the bath—"

Leonardo socked the orange-masked turtle across the face with his pillow, and Raphael guffawed that he'd caught Mike by surprise.

"Like I said, sometimes it's better to go with the flow."


	84. Catching Up

Michelangelo was happy enough to see the purple-masked turtle that he could have tackled him, but he decided to curb a little of his enthusiasm for the sake of his sister-in-law's condition. He satisfied himself with giving his brother a hug, which Donatello returned tightly.

"How's everything going?" Mike cast a quick glance at the elohim who was setting up a couple of pieces of equipment. "What does Shukri say about her?"

Donatello's shoulders came up in a half-hearted shrug. "According to his tests, her blood ratio is practically normal. He doesn't think it should take her much longer to come around. Jen went deeper under than you were, Mikey." His gaze rested on where the raven-haired woman was lying. "I heard the babies' heartbeats yesterday. As hard as it is to say this, part of this situation feels like a blessing in disguise.

"The first trimester was the most crucial phase for avoiding a miscarriage with the other girls, and that isn't taking Jenna's complications into account. I mean…there were difficulties with Karina and Rebecca too, but not like her. Shukri told me that they had four close calls in the very first month that she was in their care. I'm not sure what to think, but…" Donatello trailed off for a moment. "It's difficult to imagine Yasir in a positive light, but his genetic intervention may have accomplished something that _we_ couldn't have."

Mike made a scoffing sound. "Jen didn't get pregnant because of him. _Caleb's_ therapy helped pull that off, and if the elohim hadn't dragged our shells out here to begin with, you guys would have taken care of her at home like the other girls."

"Think about their struggle though, Mike. The girls might not mind paying the price, but they shouldn't _have_ to. I know you understand where I'm coming from."

The orange-masked turtle nodded slowly, his thoughts turning to his curly-haired wife. Pregnancy had taken a tremendous toll on her body, and she'd lost more weight than he'd expected her to. It was easy to recall the long nights where the two of them were sick _together_. If there was one thing that he regretted about Becky's pregnancy, it was that she'd experienced the condition at the same time as he was dealing with his own illness that had nearly ended in death.

_I couldn't be there for her the way I wanted to. Everyone should have been completely focused on her, and instead they were being distracted by _my_ shell. It wasn't how I wanted things to happen…but Nate is still the best thing _ever_. _The image of his little boy made Michelangelo smile, but the expression faded quickly. _How many months of this kid's life am I going to miss? He's only been around a little over a year, and this is the second long separation we've had. I swear he's not gonna know who I am._

Mike broke out of thought to find his older brother staring at him. "Did you say something?"

Don shook his head and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "No – you're just being quiet. Did I miss anything around here?"

"You missed a _lot_, Donny, but I don't think you wanna hear all of it. I guess we're friends with the Ruairi again."

"Yeah? How do you feel about that?"

"I'm not sure how to feel, but there're a bunch of them on their way here as I speak."

Mike swore his brother paled. "A bunch of them? How many is that?"

"I dunno, Donny. Apparently they wanna fight along with us."

The purple-masked turtle swallowed. "I know that they came back to help you and a lot of them ended up being killed…but I don't know if I'm ready to trust them. Bringing the injured ones here was one thing, but the thought of several of them overrunning this place…Kamryn's not going to like it either."

"Maybe not, Don, but don't you remember the thing that Leo saw?"

"What thing?"

"The vision of that battle in the valley. He said that there were _Ruairi_ there. You know they're not gonna fight for the Overlords, so they've got to be against them. The way I see it, more soldiers might not be a bad thing."

Donny shook his head. "No, I guess not. So they'll be here soon?"

Mike nodded. "Them and more of those ducaz. Everyone's coming out of the woodwork, Donny. The elohim are running out of places to put people already."

Don exhaled. "And it's all building up to one big fight. I suppose now isn't the time to start turning away help, no matter what form it comes in. You guys aren't going to mind if Kamryn becomes our new shadow, though, are you?"

Mike laughed. "From the way you described your escape from Central, it sounds like she can handle some business, Donny."

Donatello grinned for the first time. "Shell, Mikey, she was amazing. It's like she's been hiding these super hero powers under the surface all along. I'll never be able to look at her the same way."

"You think she'll let me help her choose a name?"

Don's brow furrowed. "She _has_ a name."

"Nah, Bro, super heroes need an awesome name for their alter ego too. Maybe something jungle related…I mean 'Cat Woman' is way too obvious and overdone."

Donny rolled his eyes. "You can talk to _her _about that, Mikey."

The orange-masked turtle extended a fist toward him. "It's really good to see you, Donny. Thanks for getting your shell outta that place."

"Thank Ghyath and Shukri, Mike. Without them I doubt we would have made it out of Central, let alone Arcadia."

"That's cool. We've got _El _to thank for getting us out of the sandstorm."

"It's going to take me a while to catch up on everything, isn't it?"

* * *

><p>Donatello stared into space as he wondered what time it was. He was tired, but that was no indication of the hour. The only thing that he knew for sure was that Jenna had been on the cleanser for almost four days. Shukri had tried to encourage him, and the turtle could see progression in her condition. Jenna's coloring had markedly improved, and her reflexive response to outward stimuli had also become more pronounced.<p>

_I feel like she's right there under the surface. I wish there was something that I could do to help her break that glass wall, but she's got to do it herself. I can wait; I can force myself to be patient for as many times as she's been patient with _me_._ He rolled his eyes at the incongruous thought of all the physical trials he'd put the woman through. _Last year with the brain injury had to be the worst, but she was spectacular. I'm so lucky I had—have her, _he corrected quickly, resting his hand on the bed next to her.

Donny had no end of companions between his brothers, friends, and Shukri, but for the moment, he was alone. Being on his own with Jenna wasn't a bad thing, and he'd encouraged Shukri in particular to go ahead and get something to eat before any medical personnel had even come to relieve him. _I'm a medic too after all. If I can't look after her by myself, I ought to turn my fake credentials in to Doc. He'd probably get a kick out of that._

The thought faintly amused him, but it also made the turtle long for home. _We could get out of here, _he thought wistfully. _We have everyone back. But it didn't feel like an option before, and it seems like even less of one now. I just can't picture turning our backs on the same people who laid down their lives so that we could rescue _my_ wife. I'll have to find some way to thank them that doesn't feel inappropriate. Words don't seem like enough, not for something like this._

The purple-masked turtle felt light pressure on his hand and jerked, startled. He looked down and was further surprised to find light blue eyes already gazing at him. The young woman didn't say anything, but the smile that emerged on her face spoke loud enough.

"Jen?" His voice cracked and he felt like an idiot.

The woman grasped his hand again, and said something so softly that he couldn't make it out. He scrambled to his feet, hurriedly supporting her neck as she tried to lift her head.

"What? What are you trying to say?"

"Come _here_," she forced a little louder.

He was still confused for a moment, but then finally understood what she wanted. Donatello bent down to her level, and kissed her lightly with the nagging sensation that he could break her. Jenna's fingers tightened around his wrist as he pulled away and she managed to shake her head.

"You're not going," she insisted softly.

"Leaving? No, Jenna, no. I'm not going anywhere, not for anything." He stared down at the woman he loved in awe, amazed by the lack of confusion in her fair features. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you _expected_ to see me here, Jen."

Her smile was electric; it made him feel like laughing and crying at the same time.

"I _knew_…one day I was going to wake up, and you'd be there," she said slowly.

Donny nodded, blinking back the tears that threatened. "I'm sorry that it took me so long. Nothing is easy to accomplish around here."

Her forehead creased, as the first hint of anxiety entered her eyes. "Where _is_ here, Donny? Those elohim are aliens, aren't they?"

"We're on another planet, Jen…a long way from home."

Her pressure on his arm increased yet again. "No we're not," she told him. "Remember what we said before? If we're together…"

"Then we're home," he finished, brushing black hair off of her cheek.

Jenna closed her eyes briefly, intentionally pressing against his palm. He saw her go from half-way relaxed to near frantic in an instant. "The babies! Are they all right? Donny, we're having more than one!"

"As far as we can tell," he assured her. "Yasir spilled the beans on that, I'm afraid. I can hardly believe it."

Her smile flashed again, but then her eyes narrowed. "I hope you hurt that man, Donny."

"Only a little, that is physically. I broke several of his 'toys' too. For Yasir, I think that was _worse_."

Jenna exhaled shakily. "I can't figure out…I don't know how long I was with him. I remember a few things with certainty, and the rest is all part of the blur. He was injecting me – _drugging_ me?"

"Yes," he answered. "You've been on a special formula for a couple of days that was driving the drugs out of your system."

She frowned, worry creasing around her eyes. "But it didn't hurt the babies."

"We don't think so. Yasir knows a lot more about genetics than we do, Jen. My source says that he wouldn't have harmed you or the twins intentionally. You were too valuable to him."

Jenna huffed in irritation. "Don't let him near them again, Donny. So help me, I'll kill him with my bare hands."

"Given a couple more days, I bet you could." He grinned. "Shell, Jen, it's incredible to hear your voice. You can't begin to imagine everything that's already happened, or what we're still going to have to go through, but none of it matters right now. I've got _you_." Donny kissed her again with more feeling this time, and chuckled when her grip on his arm grew even stronger.

"That's more like it," she told him, satisfied for the moment.

He gazed at the young woman without speaking for a few seconds, and watched her free hand reach to straighten her hair automatically.

"I must be an absolute mess," she muttered. "I don't want to think of what I look like."

Don laughed – he couldn't help it. "You're as beautiful as you've always been."

"You're just saying that, Donny."

He pushed away the hand that was fussing with her hair. "You can't fix something that's not broken, Jen."


	85. Traitor

Yasir was huddled in a dark corner, _still_ stewing over his current predicament. Four days inside a holding cell with no real interaction with anyone of worth had done nothing to improve his mood. The worst part was not knowing how long his unfair imprisonment might last. He was hoping against hope that he was on the receiving end of the Altus' temporary rage, and not being accused of committing actual treason.

_Several others would have to be lying in order to make any charges against me. I know there were some who saw me as a hostage. This is not about Abeiron's suspicions. He has always been more dangerous, more hasty when he's angry than any other time. That is when his reason and logic go out the window, and he treats his friends as enemies._

Food and water had been offered for the first two days, but Yasir had refused them both. _I have no intention of rotting for an eternity in this cage. I will starve before I will submit to that. _When his refusal to eat had been made clear nothing else was offered on the days after, and Yasir couldn't be sure if that was a good sign or a bad one.

_They may be trying to test me out to see if I will crack under the pressure. I will not be the first to falter. I will not accept anything from their hands until Abeiron at least comes to see me, and pronounces my fate. _Yasir knew that a hunger strike would hurt no one but himself, but it was the only thing left for the elohim to control. If he could manipulate someone else into doing his bidding in the process, it was just as well.

The Overlord gazed up at the dark ceiling above him. The lone light that had previously illuminated the cell had been shattered long ago; it was one of the first acts he'd committed after being locked in. _This is absurd. Abeiron has no one else who can come close to my knowledge. The only other person who knew _half_ as much as I has defected to the side of the enemy._

A wave of anger consumed him so strongly that he shuddered under the intensity of it. Yasir had no way of knowing who had escaped from Arcadia, or if all of the invaders and traitors had been killed. _My gut says that someone must have escaped, or Abeiron would not be this angry. What that will mean for me is yet to be seen._

He sighed in irritation, rubbing a hand over one of his sore knees. His body was still reeling from some of the abuse he'd suffered at the hands of the accursed invaders. _This does not make any sense. How could Shukri have been swayed by them? What could those delusionary fools offer him? Perhaps he was my assistant for too long, and jealousy began to set in. It would not surprise me. For the rest of my life I fear I will be questioning the loyalty of everyone around me…that is, if I ever get out of this cell._

Yasir drew his head upright as he heard footsteps, and looked toward the small window to see if anyone would reveal themselves. He noticed the shadowy outline of what looked like a sentry, and immediately turned away. He'd been avoiding all contact with the buffoons ever since explaining in small words to one that he would neither eat nor drink until the Altus came to give him judgment, or set him free. The elohim folded his arms and faced the wall, feigning indifference as he heard the door hiss open.

_"They told me that you were acting this way, but I simply could not believe it until I saw you with my own eyes."_

Yasir was inwardly relieved to hear Abeiron's voice, but he didn't give the emotion away.

_"You look like a small child who has been relegated to the corner for some infraction. Have you no dignity left, Yasir?" _the Altus demanded.

"_My dignity was taken when I was wrongfully imprisoned," _Yasir retorted stiffly. _"I care not for your approval, Altus, but only your judgment. Tell me what you plan to do with me, and I will cease to behave as a young one bent on rebellion."_

_"It is the wrong time to ask for judgment," _Abeiron said warningly. "_It was a mercy that I waited this long to come to you. The other traitors have long ago been ousted and died before my sight."_

_"I am no traitor, Altus, but a victim of a plot that ran much deeper than I realized."_

_"I would rather that you WERE_ _a traitor than an incompetent bumbling fool!" _Abeiron bellowed. _"You let them walk into your most secure domain, Yasir, allowed them to have access to the most valuable possessions we have! Our enemies have proven what an overconfident idiot you have become!"_

Yasir slowly rose to his feet, holding his head erect as he gazed directly at Abeiron. "_Am I the _only _one who did not realize how deeply the traitors were entrenched, Altus? Did you have prior knowledge that your Captain Alcinius was one of them? No more did I fathom that Shukri had lost his mind."_

_"This is not about the _traitors_, Yasir. It is about those infernal terrapin creatures that you have chosen to coddle above everything else! Your fascination with them has created more problems for us in a few weeks than anything those pathetic Ruairi have ever accomplished. The terrapins are the catalyst for this rebellion. It is because of _them_ that the traitors have suddenly become bold and recklessly attack without reason."_

Yasir shook his head. _"The traitors have no purpose in listening to the terrapins. Their only value lies in the advances that their DNA has to offer our race."_

_"I have heard otherwise, Yasir," _Abeiron said coldly.

"What_ have you heard?"_

The Altus smirked at him. _"If you are to proceed with me, Doctor, you are going to have to do things _my_ way. The terrapins have been naught but trouble from the start, and every day that they linger, this absurd 'rebellion' grows. They have the nerve to think that they can oppose me, Yasir."_

The Doctor swallowed as the ray of hope was offered for release. "_Then their minds truly _are_ gone, for none can stand against the majesty and might that you have created, Great Altus."_

_"An example must be made of them, Yasir, to openly demonstrate what will become of anyone who dares to defy me within my own realm. Such disrespect will only breed further contempt. I do not think that I am quite finished with you, Doctor, despite your failings. But I must have your agreement here and now that the terrapins are not experiments or specimen. They are not under your protection. They are rouge infidels who encourage wild fire to spread, and they _will_ be destroyed. Will you stand with me for this purpose?"_

Yasir nodded without blinking. _"It shall be as you say, Exalted Altus."_

Abeiron's silver irises bored into him for a few seconds, and then his superior beckoned him with one hand. "_Come. We have things to discuss, and there is someone that you need to meet."_

* * *

><p>Yasir didn't find any difficulty in regaining his former poise. In a matter of minutes he was sitting at a table in Abeiron's outer chamber, as if his imprisonment had never taken place. There had been no apology from his leader for the captivity, and Yasir didn't need one. A second chance to make up for the losses was the most that he could ask for.<p>

He'd been sitting alone for a while, but the elohim wasn't of the mind to complain about that either. Despite his hunger, Yasir only nibbled at the food. He was not willing to appear ravenous or desperate in front of Abeiron. The only thing he desired at the moment was for more to drink, as he'd quickly drained his flask. He would not deign to ask, however, but wait for the Altus to offer more.

He turned his head expectantly as he heard the large doors opening once more, but Abeiron entered alone.

"_We will greet our guest shortly_," the Altus told him. "_I thought that we might catch up first. Start at the beginning of that ill-fated evening and tell me every last detail."_

Yasir took his time recounting the events, though he did intentionally omit a couple of things that he wasn't interested in repeating to the Supreme Commander. _"It is clear to me that our enemy believes that being foolhardy will throw us off their trail, but the sheer idiocy of their actions is going to catch up with them, if it already has not. You have not spoken of how the invaders faired after I escaped them, nor of the others who tried to break into the prison block. Did they all escape?"_

_"Not all," _Abeiron said. "_Several of them were slain in the process. We were able to account for almost all of the Ruairi, in addition to over a dozen elohim traitors."_

_"Ruairi?" _Yasir was confused.

_"Yes, Doctor. They freed the monsters from our grasp, and the scum turned around and helped the terrapins to escape."_

_"But how could they escape, Altus? I do not understand this. With all of your forces tracking them, how did they get away?"_

Abeiron huffed darkly. _"We pursued the group from the prison block all the way to the wilderness, where they intentionally fled into a quylija. Six ships followed them into the storm, and none returned. The other craft which was carrying your _friends_ from Central did not escape Arcadia. It was shot down."_

Yasir's eyebrows rose. _"Then is it not likely that all of the terrapins and these traitors are already deceased?"_

_"One would think so," _Abeiron agreed. "_But that is not the case. I cannot account for how they all survived, but they draw breath to this day."_

_"How do you know this, Altus? What have you seen, Great One?" _Yasir knew thatflattery was the fastest way to loosen Abeiron's tongue.

The Altus fingered his crystal, and selected a facet of the stone as he drew it closer to his mouth. "_You may send in Riyad_," he ordered.

Yasir crossed his arms, mystified, but watched closely as the door opened once more. A hooded figure smoothly entered the room, in perfect control of his long tail so that it remained neatly behind him. _One of the ducaz? I wonder why he has taken to Abeiron's fancy._

_"I have heard interesting stories from our new friend," _the Altus told Yasir without actually introducing the ducaz. "_He has spent some quality time inside the Nalikjan's 'hidden fortress', where the traitors are even now amassing."_

Yasir nearly jumped to his feet. _"You have seen this place with your own eyes?"_

_"I have," _the ducaz affirmed. "_More, I have seen the _terrapins_, not two days ago." _Riyad looked back and forth between the Overlords. _"These strange alien warriors have given the traitors a backbone, for the first time. Up until their coming, I thought that nothing would ever emerge from the talk of an alliance with the Nalikjan. But things are taking shape, and the traitors are bracing for conflict."_

Abeiron laughed. _"They are bracing for conflict, Yasir. Does that not amuse you?"_

_"I would find it more amusing if it did not cast such dishonor upon our race," _Yasir answered.

Abeiron nodded soberly. "_It is true – these blights are no laughing matter. They must be annihilated. Now that we have the location of where they have conveniently chosen to amass themselves, we have the opportunity to wipe them out in one smooth stroke. We will turn their 'Hidden Rock' into something that more closely resembles rubble."_

_"Give some thought to their catacombs, Exalted One," _Riyad suggested. _"There are riches within them, as well as resources that you may not wish to bury."_

The Altus eyed the ducaz suspiciously. "_What resources_?"

"_There are great springs under the mountains, water enough for thousands, in addition to vast mineral deposits of arsitine._ "

Yasir's head snapped sharply at the news. "_Are you certain of this_?"

"_I have seen it with my own eyes, Doctor_."

Yasir glanced at Abeiron. "_It has been a long time since we have located a ready source of arsitine to combine for the alloy, Altus_."

Abeiron shook his head. "_Then we will drive them out of the catacombs in a cruder fashion, and when the traitors and instigators emerge, their deaths will be waiting for them. We will take no prisoners, and we will leave none alive. Then it will be known among all of our people that no one can oppose us, and no one is greater than I."_

Yasir bowed his head. "_Then all who hear of your great name will tremble at the thought of fighting you, Altus Abeiron. All of this will be for your glory."_


	86. Companions

Michelangelo made a face as he pushed his plate away from his place at the table. He eyed Ezra and Kamryn suspiciously. "I don't know _how_ you guys have survived off this food for so long. I swear my bros and I have lost weight because of this junk."

The young woman shrugged. "We don't know any differently, Michelangelo."

"_I_ know differently," Ezra said dryly. "Even if I can't remember the taste of real food, I can say with assurance that my memory of meals from when I was a boy were much more enjoyable."

"Do you think it's because eating is just filling a function for them?" Brandon wondered. "That they couldn't care less what it tastes like either way?"

Jazz snorted. "It's about 'function' all right. What's the easiest thing to produce that doesn't require water or other precious resources on a desert planet? A chemically synthesized diet."

"Do you guys ever dream about eating?" Mike murmured. "I always wake up too soon, right before it's time for the feast. That's when Raph starts smacking me in the head and telling me that it's time to get up."

Raphael huffed under his breath. "I only smack you when you deserve it, Pipsqueak. I'll smack you right _now_ if you don't quit talking about food. You're making me hungrier."

Kamryn peered at the two turtles, and then switched to Brandon and Jazz. "Have they always been like this, or is the starvation getting to them?"

The man and woman both laughed.

"They pretty much never stop, Kamryn," Jazz explained. "You get used to them." Her smile lingered for a moment before she grew more serious. "I dream about home, but not of eating," she added wistfully.

Brandon wrapped an arm around her back, and Jazz leaned into his embrace. "At least we've got each other. We're way ahead of where we _were_…and we've even got Jen back."

Mike grinned broadly. Seeing his sister-in-law earlier had been such a great treat that he could have stuck around the infirmary for hours, but he figured it was better to give his brother some space with his wife.

Kamryn pushed her own plate aside. "I look forward to meeting her. Donatello has said wonderful things about Jenna. She must be an amazing woman."

The orange-masked turtle nodded emphatically. "Yeah, Jen is awesome. She and Donny have known each other since they were teenagers."

Ezra leaned both arms on the table. "How on _Earth_ have you all maintained your secret existence for this long while also fighting crime?"

Mike exchanged a glance with Raphael. "Well…think about it, dude. How does someone react when they see something they don't understand? They give it a big double-take to make sure that it was real. The thing you gotta do is make sure they miss you on the second pass, and you're good to go."

Ezra looked uncertain. "Does that really work?"

Raphael laughed. "New York City is a busy place, Ezra, and people miss a lot of details. We have an easier time disguising ourselves _there_ than here, believe it or not. This is the land of giants. No one's gonna mistake me or my brothers for Overlords. We're not the correct shape to be ducaz or Ruairi either. But with the right clothing, lighting and attitude, we can pass for humans no problem. You sure you don't wanna make the trip back with us? I bet you'd pass for a human too." The turtle smirked.

Ezra smiled, but his gaze was unfocused, as if he wasn't seeing either of the turtles. "I can't picture a life on Earth, Raphael. I don't know what I'd choose if the opportunity presented itself. I would have to consider it well."

The red-masked turtle nodded. "You do that, Man, because we're not planning on sticking around this popsicle stand forever."

"Popsicle?" Kamryn repeated.

"It's not worth trying to explain," Jazz assured her.

"I promise you that I am considering things," Ezra continued.

Mike cast a look back at Kamryn, wondering how the young woman would feel about going to Earth. He knew she'd never been off the planet, and it prevented him from asking about it outright. _If she came home with us, she'd probably have to hide out too. I don't know if she'd be able to alter her eyes or not. Maybe there are contacts that could work some magic, but who knows? Even if she wanted to hang out with us…_He didn't finish the thought as he was reminded of something else.

_Kamryn needs medical attention, the kind that only these Overlord people can give her. It wouldn't be fair to ask her to come with us. She's not some puppy that we can smuggle home like Diamond._

Brandon scooted his chair backwards. "Is anyone else done sitting? Because I swear it's getting stuffy in here."

Raphael snickered. "Sure, Bran. I'll give you a hand back to the surface if you can let go of Jazz long enough."

Jazz stuck out her tongue at the turtle. "You'll be singing a different tune when you get _Karina_ back."

Mike smiled at their banter, not because they were any closer to getting home than they'd been before, but because it sounded like people expected to get there. _We can feed off of each other's confidence, and it makes it easier to hang in there. _He'd been distracted by his thoughts, so that it took him a moment to realize that he was the last one left at the table.

"Michelangelo, are you coming?" Ezra called.

Mike got to his feet. "Well, yeah. The life of the party has to travel with all of the participants." He smiled at the confused look Kamryn gave him. "It just means I'm the fun one."

"If the Chucklehead gets on your nerves, feel free to tune him out," Raphael suggested. "That's what I try to do."

Michelangelo made a face behind his brother's back. "Raph just wishes that he was as cool as me. Isn't it sad?"

A chuckle rippled through his companions.

"You see, Kamryn?" Brandon said. "They never turn it off unless they're distracted by the need to hit someone."

* * *

><p>The crisp night air made Mike glad that they'd taken the short side-trip to pick up their heavier cloaks. He'd almost pretended that they didn't need them before thinking better of it. <em>Donny will kick my shell if I start ignoring his instructions. He'd probably figure out that we left our clothes behind, no matter what else was going on.<em>

The three torches the group carried drove the darkness away from their small plot of land on the other side of the entrance to the tunnel. Mike thought that the whole purpose was to go for a walk, but they'd no sooner traveled a few yards than the others began settling down on rocks as if they were content to stay put.

Michelangelo felt like he had the energy for a good run, but even Raphael seemed to want to relax. _What's the harm in taking a night off, _he asked himself. _After everything we just went through in Arcadia, we deserve a break. Not that anything could get _Leo _to take time off. _As he recalled an image of the blue-masked turtle running an exercise with his katana from earlier that evening, Mike grinned happily. _Leo's staying true to form. I'm glad that he and Ghyath were able to finish the swords. They're one of the coolest things I've ever seen._

The orange-masked turtle exhaled deeply as he rested a hand on one of the nunchucks that had been fashioned for him by the Nalikjan. It wasn't the same as carrying his old weapons, but he enjoyed the feeling of carrying them, and the fact that the elohim had thought of him.

The sky above was overcast, though nowhere near as dark as it had been on the night of their fateful flight. Their entire escape from Arcadia still hardly felt real to Michelangelo.

"You know…I can recall many nights like this one, sitting alone in one of those tents out in the field," Ezra started quietly. "Wishing that things could change, but deep down, expecting that they probably never would. None of this would have happened if you turtles hadn't shown up."

"No, it wouldn't have," Kamryn agreed. "We'd be none the wiser either, but at the same time…we'd be missing a lot. Even the thought of going back to how it was before is enough to make me want to scream."

Jazz chuckled. "The guys have a way of changing everybody that they meet. Nobody's ever good enough where they started," she finished teasingly.

"Yeah? I 'spose you'd rather be back cleaning those offices?" Raphael challenged, rising to her bait. "It sounded like you were having _so_ much fun before."

"Only if you call mind-numbing boredom fun," she replied.

Mike opened his mouth to chip in, but closed it when he heard a strange sound over their heads. It sounded like the wind was whipping up into a frenzy, but he didn't feel an air current to go along with it. "You guys hear that?"

Beside him Raphael was already climbing to his feet. "It's kinda hard _not_ to."

Michelangelo gained his feet too, fixing on the low-lying clouds as the sound grew louder.

"Is it a ship?" Raphael asked.

Ezra shook his head. "That sounds like not one, but several. Something is certainly coming this direction."

The orange-masked turtle took a couple of steps back, motioning to the others. "Maybe we should get out of the way for a minute or something. How do we know what's up there?"

"We don't," Brandon replied, drawing Jazz upright by the hand.

The entire group moved toward the entrance as one unit, while also keeping a wary eye on the sky as ships descended into the valley. Mike focused on their individual lights, counting at least fourteen crafts by the time they reached the tunnel. He stood stock still while the ships spread out across the ground, like campers who were staking out a place to pitch a tent.

Mike was so worked up over the sudden appearance of the crafts that the four elohim who turned up behind the turtle made him jump.

"We've got guests out there," Raphael hissed. "Do you guys know something about this?"

One of the aliens moved closer to their torchlight with a reassuring smile. "Yes, terrapin, we know about them. It is only more of the Ruairi."

Kamryn exhaled so shakily that Mike reached a hand to her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, remember? They're not after you. No one's gonna put another hand on you."

"Not unless they come through us." Raphael scowled.

"The Ruairi have every reason in the world to behave themselves," a familiar voice offered, and Kenric pressed to the front of the group. "We have made a real alliance, and Shukri has agreed to extend his knowledge to help them. We have more reason to fight together than ever."

Kamryn shook her head. "Just the same, I'd rather keep my distance."

"Sister, I don't blame you," Raphael said. "If they so much as look at you funny, let me know. I'll handle them."

The woman released a startling laugh. "You're like the overprotective big brothers that I never had."

Jazz snickered. "Yep, that's about what it's like."

Michelangelo turned from the girls to watch the shadowy figures of the Ruairi begin filtering their way past ships, heading directly toward Zokcimel. _It's happening. It's really happening. It was real before, but this makes the big fight feel that much closer. _He shrugged off the chill that coursed down his arms. _The more the merrier – now's not the time to be picky. We can't go home until those Overlords have learned that they can't treat people however they want._


	87. Proof

Raphael stifled a yawn. It seemed too early in the evening for him to be tired, even given how difficult it had been to fall asleep the night before. He'd had a hard time settling down, while he couldn't stop dwelling on the fact that they were on the brink of a war which they had little hope of winning. _I know I'm not supposed to be thinking this way, but I can't help it._

Even the addition of the 350 Ruairi who had shown up the day before was little comfort. _If we could just fight the _real _way, without guns or lasers or giant air ships, I'd feel better about all of this. The Overlords have got way too many toys and troops to make this a fair fight. _The red-masked turtle heaved a giant sigh. _I don't get the point. Why bring us here? Why go to the trouble of giving these people any hope at all, when we're talking about a battle where we basically don't even have a shot of winning?_

Raphael rested his chin in his hand, gazing around the room without taking in the activity of the others. _Tell me that there's something else going on here. Tell me that there's some reason not to throw in the towel or surrender before we lead this entire group to their deaths? _

_What are we doing here, God? If you really care about what happens to these people, to _our_ planet, then you should have sent an army to Zuhur. My bros and I can't work no miracles. All we can do is hustle and put our lives on the line. There are only four of us. What are we supposed to do against hundreds of thousands? What kind of sick joke _is _this?_

Raphael shook his head, huffing softly. He blinked in surprise when someone bent down directly in front of him.

"Raph? Do you want to come with us or not?" Leo asked.

The red-masked turtle shook his head once more. "Not really, Fearless, no. You can tell me all about it later if you want." His older brother's gaze was probing, and Raphael crossed his arms protectively. "Go plan and do whatever," he insisted. "You're gonna have plenty of heads to do the talking. I think I might go over to see Genius and check on how Jen is doing."

Leo nodded. "Okay. Then I'll meet you later."

The words sounded innocent enough, but Raphael knew that the blue-masked turtle was still analyzing him. _I wish he'd knock it off. He doesn't need to know about _everything_ I'm thinking. _He got to his feet and headed for the door, stopping short when someone else flew after him.

"Raphael? Do you care if I come with you?" Kamryn looked at him imploringly with eyes that were much more reminiscent of his beloved feline at home.

"To go see Donny? Nah, you can tag along, Kamryn. It don't bother me."

The young woman appeared relieved, like she'd thought he would refuse. They started the trek down the hall together in silence, a weighty sound that made their footsteps somehow feel louder. Raphael gave Kamryn a sidelong glance. He didn't know the woman well enough to be able to read her emotions too accurately, but she seemed troubled. _It'd probably be better to let Donny talk to her, but it kinda feels like she _wants_ to say something. Shell, why'd she go and stick herself with _me_?_

Raphael caught Kamryn gazing back at him. "You look like you got something on your mind."

She hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "You were on that ship during the _quylija_."

He nodded. "Yeah. It was something else."

"It was said that…well, I heard you saw something out there."

"Not a whole lot. There were these lights that came out of nowhere…and the next thing I know, Leo was telling me that we had a clear place to land, right in the middle of all of it."

"Do you think your team experienced a miracle?"

"Uh…I guess…I wouldn't know what _else _to call it."

She looked down at the cavern floor as they continued walking. "I wish I'd been there. I wish I could see something, _anything_ that would prove what's real."

"Proof of God you mean?"

"I still don't know what to think, Raphael. Is that awful? I'm here along with the rest of you, putting all of my hope into some crazy whim that we can win against this force that's so much bigger than we are, and I don't know where I really stand. I think that I _could_ believe, it's just…I don't understand why things have worked out this way. If there's some all-powerful being who wants to be involved in our lives, why is the planet going to hell?"

Raphael exhaled. "I'm not the right person for you to talk to about this. I gotta lot of questions of my own, y'know?"

"But you believe in this El? You believe, as many do around us, that these events have somehow been orchestrated?"

The red-masked turtle considered the question hard, coming to a stop right outside the room that had been their goal all along. "I do believe it," he said finally. "I don't _get_ it. I can't explain it…but I believe it. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, I guess it does. I've heard that faith and believing are supposed to be a big part of this, but I don't know why it's harder for me than it seems to be for other people."

"Who says no one else struggles with it?" Raphael replied. "I'm sure you ain't the only one who…" He trailed off as he heard someone approaching them from behind and glanced over his shoulder. He recognized the South African man in an instant and was amazed by his timing.

Joshua offered him a smile. "Hello, Raphael. Have you come to pay your brother and sister-in-law a visit?"

"Yeah, we were. Hey, Joshua, you and Kamryn haven't been introduced properly, have you?" Raphael motioned to Kamryn, who'd suddenly backed up against the tunnel of the wall as though she was under siege.

"I have heard good things about Kamryn, but no, I have not had the privilege of meeting her yet," Joshua answered.

The woman's green eyes flicked up to meet Joshua. "You're the holy man."

"No one is holy, except El himself," he countered.

"I've heard that you see things. People call you a prophet." The title almost sounded like a challenge as it left Kamryn's mouth.

"I don't call myself that either, Kamryn. I only speak about what I see and hear."

She held his gaze unflinching for a couple of seconds. "Then please explain to me why it is that everyone else around me has an easier time believing in your El than I do."

Raphael wasn't sure how the man would respond, but Joshua smiled.

"It is partially because of the _manner_ in which you expect proof, Kamryn," the man replied. "You think that you should be able to fix El down in one spot and grasp all of the answers. God is bigger than this moment in our history, bigger than Zuhur. He can't be contained by the Overlords, overwhelmed by unbelief, or weakened by anything that we think or say about Him. El has been the same from the beginning, and will never change."

"I _want_ to believe," she told him. "I do. But everything in my life speaks to the opposite. I've never been in a position that could give me hope of a loving God who cares about what happens to _me_."

"Then how did you get here, young woman?" There was a twinkle in Joshua's eye. "You may not see the hand of El, but that doesn't mean He isn't moving. You keep hoping for some sign, some indisputable proof that there is a God on your side, who is ready even now to fight for you. You may wish for something dramatic, but you have only to study the Nalikjan to see it perfectly illustrated."

"Why should I study them?"

"Because the elohim dwelling inside this mountain are the greatest living examples of the miraculous, saving power of El that I can give you. There is _no_ greater proof than that of a changed heart, Kamryn. When you consider all of the Overlords that you have ever known and the immense darkness they live under, do you imagine any hope for change?"

She shrugged. "I wouldn't expect it."

"Yet it has happened, Kamryn. The most powerful proof of El can be seen when a soul willingly turns from darkness to Light. I've been witness to it many times, but it's still amazing to me."

Kamryn nodded rather than replying, leaving Raphael to wonder what the young woman was thinking. Joshua turned to smile at the turtle again.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" The man pointed to the door they were hovering outside of.

"Well, no, sure, I mean, we're already here," Raphael fumbled. He hurried to knock on the door just to escape the awkwardness. He opened the door when his brother's voice greeted him, and grinned when he saw Jenna sitting up, looking stronger yet. "Evening, you two. Hope you're behaving in here."

"Like I have the energy to misbehave?" Jenna shot back.

"Oh, I know you, Sis." Raphael smirked. "I'm surprised you're not doing back flips yet." Jenna gave him a withering look and he laughed. "A couple more days then?"

"Try a few _months_, Raph. Have you ever tried carrying twins before?"

"That's a definite no."

"It's not easy supporting your shells," she said sardonically, but her expression changed when she noticed Kamryn. "Oh. Is this your friend, Donny?"

The purple-masked turtle nodded, beckoning Kamryn to come over, and then motioned to include Joshua in the introduction. "Jen, this is Kamryn and…our resident spiritual advisor, Joshua."

Jenna smiled at them both. "It's nice to meet you, guys. I'm sorry I've been kind of out of the loop."

Kamryn returned with a shy smile of her own. "You have a beautiful accent. Donny tried to describe it to me, but I couldn't imagine it in my mind. You come from another part of Earth originally?"

"I was born in Australia, before being adopted by American diplomats who introduced me to the States and this guy," Jenna said affectionately, looking at Donatello.

"Your parents introduced you to him?" Kamryn asked.

Don chuckled. "Not exactly. They just brought her to the right city, and a posse of inept kidnappers took care of the rest."

Jenna turned to Joshua, and Raphael realized by her keen gaze that she was studying the man.

"I praise El to see that you and your babies are in good health," Joshua said. "I am praying for continued safety unto the time of their delivery."

"Thank you," Jenna replied, glancing at Donatello again. "I wouldn't turn that down, especially at a time like this." She cleared her throat as she scanned the others. "You all can sit down if you want, so we can have a conversation like normal people."

Raphael snickered. "That's a pretty tall order where one of us is concerned, Jen."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can't relax," she said lightly.

Kamryn appeared a little bashful of holding Jenna's gaze, but took a seat along with the rest of them. "Donatello has spoken so highly of you that it is a strange wonder to meet you. I'm sure you're aware of how much your husband loves you."

Jenna nodded, reaching for Don's arm. "I'm lucky. I don't even have to remind myself most days," she finished playfully.

"_Most _days? That's nice to hear," he complained.

The raven-haired woman laughed. "I have to keep you and your brilliant mind humble somehow, don't I?"

"When you put it that way it makes me soun—" Donatello was interrupted by the flinging open with considerable force.

Raphael spun around and was surprised to see his blue-masked brother dart into the room. "Leo, what's your deal?"

"We have to move!" Leonardo declared. "There's no time to lose!"

"Move where? What's going _on_, Leo?"

"I'll explain on the way. Donny, you're going to have to bring Jenna."

"Bring her _where_?"

Leonardo took a deep breath but his features were grim. "I don't want anyone to panic, but we're going to evacuate shortly. Someone or _something _has set fire to several of the entrances. It's safe to assume that we're under attack."

"Under attack from who?" Kamryn asked breathlessly. "Are the Ruairi—"

"Not from _them_, Kamryn!" Leo cut her off. "They're on our side. We haven't been able to confirm it by surveillance yet, but there's little doubt of what's happened. We've been pinpointed by the Overlords."


	88. Time

Ghyath had to reist the urge to yell as different races packed out the cavernous hall. The golden-eyed elohim felt like they had very little time to waste, but the majority of the masses weren't calming down, and didn't appear close to being ready to move in an orderly fashion. Even the knowledge that the fires set inside the tunnels would eventually reach the inner sanctum of the catacombs wasn't enough to counter their fear of the Overlords waiting outside. The near hysteria in the atmosphere was making it impossible to do _anything_.

He cast a helpless look at Joshua on the side of the platform, and climbed up to meet the man, bending down so that he would be able to hear him. "_We have to calm them down, or we are all as good as dead! Can you not speak to them?"_

The human gave him a pointed look. _"Perhaps it is time for you to open your _own_ mouth."_

Ghyath swallowed as he turned away from Joshua and looked at the scene of Kenric and Bahri trying to gain the attention of the whole assembly. _"This is going to take too long," _he muttered. He strode across the platform and caught Kenric by the arm, yanking the elohim to the back corner of the stage.

"_What are you trying to do, Ghyath_?" Kenric asked.

"_Get on your equipment and give me the highest tone you have, Kenric_, now."

The other elohim looked confused for another instant, before hurrying to adjust a knob on the sound monitor. With a flick Kenric activated the high pitched sound that he had requested, and allowed it to blast for several seconds until Ghyath waved at him to stop.

Despite having climbed onto the platform under his own volition, Ghyath wasn't prepared for the number of eyes staring at him from the now silent crowd. He glanced at Kenric, who took another step backwards behind the sound monitor. _He refuses to be of any help to me? Kenric is the one who has so much experience addressing these people!_

Ghyath glanced pleadingly at Joshua, and the human gave him another pointed look before wheeling around to face the onlookers.

"Peace!" Joshua said authoritatively. "This is not the time to panic or to be afraid. The danger has yet to reach us, but we must move before the flames are at our backs! Has El not promised to look after you and save you numerous times? This is the moment to take Him at His word, and see His deliverance firsthand! We will escape the catacombs, every one of us together. Only trust in El and don't be afraid!"

"The enemy is at our doorstep!" a man cried from up front. "The moment we step foot outside, they will be waiting to destroy us!"

"Yes, we will be dead either way!" another voice added.

"If hope is lost to us, what difference does it make _what_ we do?" someone else shouted.

The building murmur of the people led Ghyath to believe that they were in danger of losing control of them again.

Joshua fixed him with a fierce look. "_Now_, Ghyath!"

He closed his eyes briefly before stepping forward. "Hope is _not_ lost," Ghyath said sternly, sweeping to the edge of the platform. "Listen to me, all of you! Would you rather burn to death simply because you fear to face your enemies? While we draw breath, death is not a certainty! But if we choose to do nothing, then our fate is already sealed!"

Ghyath exhaled as what felt like a smoldering wick inside of him burst into flames with sudden force. "The Light does not have to fear darkness or death! The very worst thing that can happen this night is that we will be driven straight into the hands of El. Even were the enemy to take our lives, they do not control our souls, and they never will!"

He was relieved when he saw the terrapin creatures fighting their way closer to the platform, and hurried to wrap up the speech so that they would be able to strategize.

"We must make haste and flee from these caverns before they become our tomb! I want you to take a look at those around, and begin to separate yourselves into groups of 25. There will be further instructions in just a few moments, and we will commence with the evacuation."

The golden-eyed elohim motioned to the three terrapins, inviting them up onto the stage where it would easier to converse as a group.

"Is there more than one way out left?" Leonardo asked briskly.

Ghyath nodded as they formed a semi-circle along with Joshua, Kenric and Bahri. "Kenric said that the fires are limited to the perimeter."

Kenric took a sharp breath. "The move feels deliberate," he told them, holding up his hand-held monitor. He rapidly scanned through a couple of different screens to show them the different available views of the tunnel entrances. "You see? They have cut us off from every option, but for those that will lead directly through the center of the valley. They mean to ambush us, Ghyath!"

"We have no _choice_, Kenric!" he replied sharply. "We can die here, or we can go down fighting."

"Can I cast a vote for _not_ dying?" Michelangelo suggested.

"Why did you tell the crowd to separate into groups?" Bahri asked.

"Because it is a small task to distract them from their fear while we determine what is to be done," Ghyath returned. "We still have the energy shield, do we not? That will provide us with a large measure of protection."

"El Himself will go before us and as our rear guard!" Joshua insisted. "This battle is not as one-sided as you all choose to see it."

"That may be the case, but I still mean to use every resource at our disposal," Ghyath said evenly. "What of the shield, Kenric?"

"What shield?" Leonardo asked before the elohim could answer.

Kenric held out his monitor once more. "We are capable of projecting a powerful force field over most of the valley, particularly if we divert _all_ of the energy reserves for this task! It will not only deflect the fire from the larger ships, but it discourages the use of the laser weapons inside of the shield."

Raphael cocked his head. "How does _that_ work?"

"The energy from the shield has a tendency to…interact with other forms of energy," Kenric explained. "To discharge laser weapons from _inside_ this type of field can mean a swift death for the shooter." The elohim took another deep breath before continuing. "The problem is that the energy grids have already come under attack, Ghyath!"

"Energy grids?" Raphael repeated. "What does that mean in English?"

"The shield requires the use of several separate energy grids working together to project the field. Out of sixteen grids, only 6 are currently operational according to my data. We need at least two more functioning, or we will _not_ have a shield!"

"Then we must get them repaired before we step foot outside, Kenric!" Ghyath said decisively. "Can you head up this operation with your technicians while we begin to get the masses moving in the right direction?"

Kenric nodded. "I will select a couple men of my own, and we will head for the two closest grids."

Joshua shook his head at the elohim. "If you will but _trust _in El, you will see His deliverance this night!"

Ghyath nodded toward the human. "I believe that He is with us, Joshua, but I also believe in being prepared." He looked back at Kenric. "Do not be parted from your link, brother! I will check in with your progress in a few minutes. As for right now, we need to get these people heading for the exits. Will you give me one more tone, Kenric?"

The elohim sounded another blast, which wasn't quite as high as the first.

"I would like for everyone to move in a calm fashion, cooperating with one another as we evacuate," Ghyath told the group. "Have no concern for valuables, but only take with you what may be used as a weapon. We make for the three exits that will bring us out toward the center of the valley, but no one should proceed down the tunnels until your leadership is in place to guide you."

Even as the figures in the room began shifting out of the hall, Leonardo paced the front of the platform. "There are so many innocent civilians," the terrapin said. "How are we going to protect them inside a warzone?"

"I no more have that answer than you, Leonardo," Ghyath said honestly. "But we cannot stay here. We must try this, or perish."

Raphael scowled. "I'm not giving up without a fight."

Ghyath nodded his head at the stubborn terrapin. "Nor I."

The golden-eyed elohim stepped off the platform, and his forehead creased as the crowd parted to let him and the terrapins through, waiting for him to lead them. _What have I gotten myself into? Why did I speak up to begin with? _Self-doubt was rapid to spring up in his mind, threatening to squash the fire that had been ignited. Ghyath felt a hand brush his shoulder and looked back to see Leonardo.

"You all right?" the terrapin asked.

"I am not sure," he said softly.

"Nobody ever does everything perfectly, Ghyath," the terrapin told him. "All you need to do is follow the God-given instincts inside of you. Don't question them and don't hesitate. You'll regret it later if you don't go with your gut right _now_."

Ghyath felt his heart beat increasing in speed. "As I have already spoken to them all, I see no way that I can back out."

Leonardo actually laughed. "We all have to start somewhere, Ghyath. How is the group going to be divided among the exits?"

"The most able-bodied and the warriors need to take the front in each tunnel. I would assume that the wounded, the young, and those who cannot fight would be safer in the center, surrounded by the rest of us."

The terrapin nodded. "It would be a good idea to assign someone to look after that center as well. Don could help with that effort. I know he's not about to leave Jenna's side."

"Nor should he," Ghyath agreed. "Having a few strong warriors to look after the 'civilians', as you call them, feels like a necessity."

As they approached the first crossroads in the tunnel, a winged Ruairi elbowed his way to Ghyath's side, and he instantly recognized Lajos.

"Do you have a plan?" the Ruairi asked.

"Are you in a condition to fight?" Ghyath asked him. "You were hurt in escaping Arcadia."

"It is not serious," Lajos returned. "The Ruairi are prepared to offer aerial support. They are already questioning me for direction, but I did not want to tell them anything before I talked to you."

"We are 'winging this', as the terrapins like to say," Ghyath told him. "For the moment, I think everyone should stay as closely together as possible. I could not encourage you to take to the air until we confirm that the energy shield is operational. You would be among the most vulnerable otherwise."

Lajos looked swiftly left and right, as though to make sure no one was listening to them. "It is a sound thought, Ghyath, but I cannot see how we are going to get out of this. Have you considered surrendering to the Overlords? They would not take kindly to the Ruairi, but they may allow the elohim to live as their brothers."

Ghyath's eyes narrowed. "We are no longer brothers with the Overlords, Lajos. _You_ are closer to being my kin than they."

Lajos blinked in surprise and stood up straighter. "I am not afraid to die, Ghyath. The Ruairi's journey to Zuhur was a foolish one to begin with, and deep down, I believe all of us knew it. But if I _am_ to be destroyed by the Overlords, I would rather take some of them with me."

"There is hope left, Lajos, if we can only—"

"What are you two doing here?" Raphael's curt voice cut in.

Ghyath turned his head to see who the terrapin was addressing, and was startled to see Jazz and Kamryn too.

"You girls can't stick with us," Raphael continued. "We're going to the front lines!"

Kamryn bristled. "I'm not completely worthless, Raphael. I may have something to offer too!"

"I didn't say you were worthless, Kamryn, but you don't belong _here_. Neither of you do!"

"I must agree with Raphael," Ghyath added. "But I think that the two of you could assist Donatello in the center a great deal. He will need strong hands to help protect those who cannot fight at all."

"I just don't want to leave Brandon until the last minute," Jazz inserted. "If we're all going down—"

"Stop talking like its already set in stone," Leonardo interrupted. "If you girls want to stay close for a little while longer, we won't stop you. But when we get near the exits, you'll have to fall way back. The point isn't up for negotiation."

Ghyath smiled grimly to himself. _I wonder if I have any time to take some notes from him. _Mirth was momentary as the gravity of the situation rushed back over him. _I pray that Joshua is right, and that El can make some impact for us, else this could be a rather short battle._

They continued in silence for a time, making their way down the passage as swiftly as the group could move. When Ghyath glanced back again, he realized that several Ruairi had worked up through the crowd, positioning themselves behind them as if they were a bodyguard. Ghyath was about to ask Lajos about it, but an uplink from his communicator made him reach for his earpiece instead.

"_I am here – speak to me, Kenric_."

"_Ghyath, we are in a bad spot_," the elohim told him tightly. "_The seventh grid was a simple repair, and I believe that the eighth only needs some adjustment, but my man cannot get to it_. _The overhead assault caused a small cave-in_."

"_What about the other grids, Kenric_?"

"_They are further away and more severely damaged according to my monitor! The eighth grid is so close, Ghyath. By my calculations, it only needs to be equalized and then realigned with its partner grid._"

"_But if you cannot _reach_ it then what good is the grid to us_?"

"_There is a gap, Ghyath, but it is too small for one of us to make it through! If it were not for the Ruairis' wings one of them might fit_."

Ghyath halted in his step with a jolt and glanced at the two young women in their midst. "_I may have a solution for you, Kenric, but I am going to need a couple of minutes."_

_"Please hurry, Ghyath; we have got to get that shield up!"_

_"I could not agree more, Kenric. I will call you back."_

"What's going on?" Mike piped up at once.

"One of Kenric's men has hit a problem, and they require assistance," he explained, then focusing on Jazz and Kamryn. "How would you ladies feel about becoming an integral part of our defense?"

The young women looked at each other.

"Depends," Jazz said flatly. "What did you have in mind?"


	89. Improvising

Jazz was up for doing anything _other_ than screaming her head off while someone tried to kill her, but the idea of retreating back into the catacombs where the fires were spreading still made her sick to her stomach. She wasn't about to say no when Ghyath asked for their help, but now that she and Kamryn were hoofing it back down the tunnel with two of the Ruairi, Jazz was feeling somewhat like a burden.

It had taken a little while to work their way through the masses to where they could split off in their quest to reach the correct energy vector grid. By the time they had space to sprint, Jazz _knew_ she was slowing them down. She had some experience with running, but the others were simply a lot faster than she was. Jazz was gasping for breath by the time a broad-armed winged elohim rushed to meet them from the opposite direction.

"I am Haim," he told them. "I will lead you to the vector. Please hurry – we do not have much time."

Jazz gave the elohim an exasperated look. "You can feel free to throw me over your shoulder if that would help. I seriously won't be offended."

Haim gave her an apologetic glance. "Take heart, human, we are not very far. I am sorry that you have had to push this hard, but the danger is very real. Already the flames are invading this sector."

"How are we not far?" Jazz asked. "I thought your grids were a lot higher up than this!"

"They are," Haim returned, giving her a confiding smile. "But that is also why you have aerial support."

"You mean you…they're going to…"

"Flying will help make up for time we have already lost. Without the shield, there will be little hope for anyone to survive long."

"Okay, well, I'm doing my best. I don't exactly have your long legs or her DNA." Jazz motioned to Kamryn.

"Maybe not, but I am told that you have something else," Haim remarked.

"What's that? A magnetic attraction to all things insane?"

From his puzzled look, it was obvious he didn't understand her sarcasm. "Ghyath communicated that you are well suited for the task."

Jazz snorted. "Do I look well-suited to _you_? I'll be lucky if I live through this!"

He gave her another encouraging smile before he turned his attention forward. "When we reach _Miank Bajkynl*, _we will be able to travel straight up through the catacombs."

Jazz shrugged. The words meant nothing to her; the current job revolved around following wherever the elohim was leading them. As they emerged out of the tunnel into a large open portion of the cave, the warm glow that met them wasn't reassuring. There were already visible flames across the room, and all too soon it would consume the entire space. She looked up and felt slightly dizzy as she tried to determine how high the ceiling was.

"It is time," Haim told her. "Are you ready?"

"Does it matter? What do you want me to do?"

"Put your arms around my neck, and trust me, human."

Jazz saw Kamryn already doing something similar with one of the Ruairi, though she refused to look the alien in the eyes. "Can Lajos handle her weight?" she asked apprehensively.

"The Ruairi are stronger than they appear," he replied. "Fear not. We will see you through this."

Jazz's breath caught in her chest as the elohim took a bounding leap off of the cavern floor, and shot straight up through the air. She was tempted to strangle him with her grasp, but she fought down the urge. _I'm _not _going to panic. I've done crazier things than this. I ran around a nuclear power plant that was overrun by Asian terrorists. I can fly with an alien. No big deal._

Jazz refused to look down. She didn't want to see the certain death that would destroy all of their loved ones if they didn't finish evacuating the catacombs. _But certain death is right outside too, _she thought morosely. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she sighed. _The others are trying to live. The least I can do is pretend that we have some shot of surviving the night. I wish I could have said a real goodbye to Brandon, though. Everything happened so fast, I'm surprised I still know which way is up._

Her grip tightened around Haim's throat as he darted over a ledge and brought Jazz in for a careful landing.

"Not bad for a first flight?" he asked.

"Sure, not bad at all, considering," she wavered slightly. "We're not going to be able to escape the same way, are we?"

"Ah…I think not, human. We will have to exit on the other end of the vector which leads outside. That should be done safely once the energy shield is erected."

Haim led the group around the ledge into the adjoining tunnel, and Jazz fell into step beside Kamryn. Her companion's green eyes looked a little freaky in the darkness, but she couldn't help admiring them. Her fascination with Kamryn was cut short when the ceiling shook with tremendous force.

"What's that?" Jazz demanded loudly enough to produce an echo.

"We are still under attack," Haim told her. "Our enemy cannot be certain where our energy grids are located, so they are continuing to pummel the mountain to prevent us from raising the shield!"

Jazz stopped in her tracks as small stones fell directly in front of her. "I'm not liking this very much!"

"Keep going, human," Lajos pressed from behind her. "The tunnel is more vulnerable to collapse."

"He speaks truthfully," Haim announced. "Especially since we have already experienced a cave-in on this grid."

"Well, what if there's another…" Jazz didn't bother finishing the question. There couldn't be a good answer, and she needed to focus more on living than the possibility of approaching death. She had a pang of longing for Brandon, but then set her face forward resolutely. _I can't act like a little girl. This isn't the time._

They emerged into another open area, and her eyes immediately traveled to the exit. Part of Jazz wanted to dash to the edge and see what was lying outside with her own eyes, but the sane part of her mind made her hold back.

Haim traveled to the left, showing the women to a smaller room which appeared to be all but blocked off. Kamryn bent down to the floor, examining the space that existed underneath the broken stone braced across the entrance. The elohim handed her their version of a flashlight, and Kamryn shined it through the gap.

"I think we can make it," she said. "How will we know what to do when we get there?"

"The process of equalizing and realigning the vector grid is not a difficult one. I can talk you through it within a few minutes." Haim held out a communicator to her, and Kamryn carefully put the earpiece in

"Okay. Then I guess we—" Kamryn was interrupted by a thunderous blow that sounded like it had come from _right_ outside the opening of the cavern.

"Humans, go!" Haim ordered. "Get inside, quickly!"

Kamryn wasted no time in diving to the floor, and Jazz winced at the force with which the young woman landed. Kamryn didn't seem fazed, however, and rapidly shimmied forward underneath the gap.

The vision of laser fire made Jazz throw herself down almost as hard as her companion had. She kept her head as low to the ground as possible, and felt stones scraping up her arms and elbows as she forced her way through the gap. She gulped fearfully when the sound of the fiery assault intensified. _I don't see how he's going to be able to talk us through anything.__  
><em>

Jazz got to her feet and gazed around the inner space while Kamryn held the light up higher. There was an unassuming bank of three computer monitors and a single work station against the opposite wall; hardly what she had expected from advanced space age technology.

"So we're in," Jazz said. "But that doesn't sound good out there."

"Let me try Haim," Kamryn said.

While the young woman fiddled with the communicator, Jazz wandered over to the monitors, peering at the images on the screens curiously. She couldn't decipher most of the characters that she saw, but the numbers felt like safer ground. Two of the monitors were alive with readings and digits, but the third was dark.

"Jazz."

Kamryn's voice broke her out of contemplation over two numeric codes that seemed to be mirror images of one another.

"I can't reach Haim. I don't know what to do except wait for him to call us back."

"We _can't_ wait!" Jazz exclaimed. "Our people need the shield! You can read the characters on those screens, can't you?"

"That doesn't mean I can fix it! I don't think we should be touching anything."

Jazz sighed, but tried to remain patient. "Computers aren't designed to explode, Kamryn. Generally they'll give you some warning before you do something to corrupt their entire operating system, at least where _I_ come from. Let's play around a little bit and see if we can figure anything out."

"Do you have knowledge of energy field mechanics? Because I don't."

"Haim said that it was an easy fix. Are you going to tell me what any of this says, or not?"

Kamryn stared between the two screens in front of Jazz for a beat. "It's telling us information about the other vector grids."

"So we have a guide right in front of us of what our grid is _supposed_ to be doing. What about the blank monitor over there? Any clue what that's about?"

"I think it should be displaying _our_ information, Jazz. This is a mistake. We don't know how to fix it, we can't even tell—"

Jazz promptly smacked her hand on top of the "dead" monitor, eliciting a gasp from Kamryn.

"What are you _doing_?"

Jazz grinned as images came into focus on the screen. "When in doubt, hit it. I guess it's a universal law after all. Let's try comparing the differentials we have here."

"The what?"

Jazz looked over at Kamryn. "If an energy field works anything like an _electromagnetic_ field, then all of these vectors should be interacting with each other, combining to create the subsequent force field. It requires both positive and negative charges flowing in a particular direction. An electric field is composed of neurons, where the charge has to begin as positive, and then exit on a negative point. Haim said that the vector needs to be equalized…"

Jazz paused for a moment, looking at the other two monitors. "What I think we should do is check out how the particular charges in our vector are stacking up against the other grids. Do those screens mention anything about a positive or negative impact?"

Kamryn pointed to the far right-hand side of an equation. "I think…these abbreviations are what you're looking for. It seems to be measuring one number against the other, but they're close to each other." She hesitated as she read further down the list. "Not all of the amounts are the same from vector to vector, but the two groupings that are side-by-side are extremely close in every case."

Jazz nodded. "If it's measuring the positive charges versus the negative, then they would _need_ to be similar to each other. The opposites attract one another, so they would probably need the balance to coexist and work together to create the energy field. That makes sense, doesn't it?"

Kamryn shook her head. "I suppose," she said guardedly.

"What about the front half of the equations? If you compare this one on top to the one directly underneath it, they look like they're related to each other. You see how the order of the numbers is the exact opposites?"

Kamryn's forehead creased. "They _are_ pairings. The two formulas definitely go together, Jazz. Those first three sets all begin by addressing a common direction…._Zanj_, _Opkeil_, and _Jymla_."

"And that means what?"

"In English it is North, South, and East."

"Oh. Okay, so we're dealing with different points on the compass too, and we need a pairing for every direction. Then maybe all we need to do is adjust the settings on our vector to match the one odd formula that doesn't have its mate. I think we can do this, Kamryn."

"_I_ think you're crazy."

"That's a given. What other options do we have?"

"I don't know. Wait for Haim?"

"Okay, keep listening on the link if you want to, and I'm going to compare these readings so I can start testing this theory out."

Kamryn grunted in irritation. "How are you going to change anything on the computer without me translating for you?"

Jazz grinned. "I guess we're the perfect match, Kamryn. Are you going to help me out with this, or should I start randomly pushing buttons to find out what happens?"

The young woman groaned. "I don't believe we're doing this."

Jazz shook her head. "Improvising is the highest rush there is, Kamryn. You just might enjoy it."

* * *

><p>*Deep Plunge<p> 


	90. Defense

Yasir was trying to be patient while he waited for word from his second, but it was growing more difficult with the passing minutes. _I do not even require one of them for very long. All I need is a little time for a couple more injections, and then the opportunity to perform a detailed autopsy. The Altus cannot object to that if the subject was "found" dead on the field of battle._

He peered down at the valley below his personal craft, far removed from the imminent violence. _It is completely uncivilized business, even if it is necessary. The very nerve the terrapins had to infiltrate Arcadia, to threaten _my_ research…If Mukhtar is successful, I am going to be _certain_ that the subject suffers._

Yasir was jarred out of thought by a bright flash, which was followed by the incandescent glow of one of the largest projections of an energy shield that he'd ever seen. His eye brows rose curiously. _So they managed to raise the energy field after all. No matter. Given enough abuse, the shield will fall, and so will they._

He lightly fingered his crystal as the stone shimmered to life.

_"Are you watching this, Doctor?" _Mukhtar asked.

_"I see everything," _he replied flatly. _"And it makes no difference. Have you acquired enough men that are loyal to you?"_

_ "Yes, Doctor. The first wave of the Elite is poised to move in, and we will work our way in behind them."_

_ "That is well, Mukhtar. Bring me one of the terrapins. Make this your goal, and I will reward you so handsomely that you will spend the rest of your life counting it."_

_ "My life is to serve _you_, Doctor."_

_ "Do what you must, Mukhtar, and let no one stand in your way, not even our own warriors. I need one of them – I _must _have a terrapin."_

_ "I am going to do my best, Doctor, I swear it."_

Yasir nodded grimly as he broke off the communication and replaced his crystal. He stared down at the masses of battalions below, gripping his arm-rest with sudden urgency. _Do not fail me, Mukhtar. _He raised his eyes to look at the impressive ship hovering across from him, from which the Altus would survey the battle.

_Abeiron does not understand the difficulty of my work. He asks me to perform miracles, and yet considers himself to be higher than anyone else. It is not _his _intelligence or tenacity that has advanced our kind. One of these days, reality is finally going to hit him hard, and I only hope that the rest of our race is wise enough to obey me in his stead._

* * *

><p>Ghyath felt a little more confident as he gazed out of the tunnel entrance at the energy shield encompassing the valley, but only just. <em>How long will it take the Overlords to bring down the shield, I wonder? I suppose it does not do any good to ask myself such things.<em>

He'd been standing at the entrance for about ten minutes, waiting for confirmation that the other two groups were in position to exit from their respective tunnels. The elohim now _knew_ that everyone was ready to move, and that the evacuation needed to be completed with fires still spreading through the catacombs. Even so, he found himself hesitating. The enemy soldiers had yet to advance inside the force field. _They have nothing to worry about, and all the time in the world to act. We are the ones who are being forced to throw ourselves off of a cliff. _

The elohim turned his head when he felt something brush his back.

"Ghyath, it's time," Leonardo told him.

Ghyath held the terrapin's gaze. "Do you think less of me for admitting my fear?"

"My Sensei would have said that only a fool is never afraid. Another wise person said that the answer to doing the right thing when you're frightened is to do it afraid."

The red-masked terrapin scratched his head. "Did Sun Tzu say that, Bro?"

"Actually, it was Joyce Meyer."

"Who the shell is that, Fearless?"

"I'll explain later, Raph." Leonardo looked back at Ghyath. "You're not alone. We're in this together. Are you ready?"

"No, but we do not have alternative, do we?" the elohim murmured in response, and then swallowed to brace himself before turning around to face the tunnel.

"Warriors, your attention!" he called. "The energy shield has been raised, so guns are of no purpose for the moment. The odds are against us, but El is also _for_ us! Stay together and do not allow yourself to be cut off from the group. We must fight as hard as we can to protect the inner circle who cannot defend themselves! We are Nalikjan, and we will not surrender to darkness again; not tonight, or any other night!"

The roar that responded was unlike any sound that Ghyath had ever heard out of the group's mouths. The golden-eyed elohim drew a curved scimitar from his side and smiled at the sight of Leonardo's katanas. "I did not expect a battle to go this way, Leonardo, but it is still an honor to fight with you."

The blue-masked turtle bowed his head briefly. "It's been an honor to _know_ you."

Ghyath exhaled once more and took his first steps forward into the cold night air. The surface of the energy field above him made it look like the valley was encased in a giant bubble. Beyond the shield, however, he could see several air ships in the sky, and legions of black shadows on the ground. _If we must die, I would rather it be this way, the _right_ way._

Ghyath picked up speed, granting the warriors behind him the opportunity to get out of the tunnel as soon as possible. The brief glance he had of the three terrapins was impressive. The sheer strength and determination in their expressions would have probably driven the entire army forward on its own.

"Quickly!" Ghyath called over his shoulder. "We can waste no time finding the best positions! We have to build a defense for the vulnerable to hide behind!"

As the line of warriors spread out, the golden-eyed elohim was very sorry to lose sight of the terrapins. _But they cannot win this battle for us – that is not why they are here. Without El's help, we are surely going to be lost. _He glanced back again to watch figures hurrying to fill in the gaps of the protective circle, and then he continued advancing further into the valley.

Inwardly Ghyath felt so overwhelmed that he was surprised he hadn't collapsed. The stronger instinct to fight until his dying breath was winning out, and an unusual sense of calm settled over his mind as he looked up at the sky beyond their shield. _This is all in your hands now, El. You said that the battle belongs to You. I do not know what that means, but I pray that You will grant us the victory that feels all but impossible._

Urgency lent more speed to his feet and he dashed down the incline into the valley as fast as he could, only looking back to check on the small army behind him once more. When Ghyath turned forward this time he saw enemy assailants slipping through the energy shield, and shook his head at the thin armor. _Elite, _he thought distastefully. _Their armor is not going to help them yet. _ The protective material was extremely light and effective at deflecting laser fire. But as far as hand-to-hand combat was concerned, or _real_ fighting as Raphael had put it, the armor offered no advantage.

The golden-eyed elohim stopped and stood his ground, then shouted over his shoulder, "Stay together! Remember the lives that are at stake! Fear not the enemy's number or their armor. Stand and do not be moved!"

It had been several years since Ghyath had worked out regularly with his scimitar, but his recent efforts to help Leonardo forge his katanas had renewed his interest in the curved blade. He couldn't see the faces of the Overlords running towards them, and he didn't _want_ to see them. _El, forgive us the blood that we are forced to shed, _he thought fleetingly, right before readying his scimitar for the approaching line of the Elite.

His opponents wasted no time on words, immediately arranging themselves into an attack formation against his group. Ghyath found himself staring down foes who appeared to be assuming that the battle was already won, judging by their confident posture. The elohim blocked a shattering blow that tried to catch his sword arm, and delivered the first kill strike with his curved blade.

Ghyath flexed out of reach from another who swung his rifle around like a club, fearing for an instant that the fool would try to use the gun properly and risk bringing death down on _both_ their heads. He struck the gunman rapidly before he had the chance to attempt it, accepting the cold awareness that was beginning to consume his mind. He needed to forget that he was fighting brothers—Former_ brothers, _he reminded himself.

He ducked between two of the Elite who each tried to get their hands on his shoulders and left them flailing with nothing but air, before spinning to counterattack. He ignored the sight of his scimitar as he withdrew it from attackers, not wishing to see their blood. Under the Overlords' army, he'd been trained to behave like a machine, to kill without regard or pity for anyone. With the change of heart from darkness to Light, he found it more difficult to take lives. _It cannot be helped. I am not only fighting for myself, but those behind me. I cannot afford—_

The thought was promptly interrupted as the sharpened tip of a rod nearly made contact with his chest. Ghyath feigned to the right and another warrior came in between him and the attacker. The figure slammed his long tail against the Overlord's head, knocking the enemy aside uselessly.

The golden-eyed elohim nodded his thanks to the ducaz even as he clenched his jaw with determination. _They can be offered no mercy, as they do not mean to show it in return. _With a loud cry Ghyath lunged to meet the enemies, instead of standing back and waiting for them to arrive. He had been trained in nearly every weapon that the Elite favored; he knew the offensive maneuvers they would likely engage in, and where their defenses were weak.

Ghyath's blade now swung and fell without guilt. One moment of regret spent on this battle field would mean more enemies were left to penetrate the center, and threaten those who were vulnerable. He couldn't let that happen – he _wouldn't_.

Even through the keen focus he was applying to cutting down combatants left and right while avoiding being wounded himself, he was aware that the attack on their energy shield had commenced in full force. Ghyath grimaced but didn't dare to look up. _Please, El, let the shield hold. If it goes, there is nothing left to stop them from killing us all._

* * *

><p>Donatello already had his bo spinning in one hand, even though he had yet to use it. The warrior inside of him was dying to meet the approaching threat, but he forced himself to hold his position in the center. Shukri was standing to his right, looking much more tentative.<p>

"I wish now that we had taken the time to destroy more of Yasir's Lab," the elohim lamented.

Donny turned to meet his gaze. "We're not finished yet, Shukri," he said automatically. He knew in all likelihood that they were _going _to be finished, but he wasn't about to acknowledge that to everyone else around him. The purple-masked turtle exhaled, extending higher on his toes so that the elohim would hear him. "We have to be strong for them. We have to be willing to stand our ground, no matter what. Forget about failure or regret, because they're not going to help us."

"You are right." Shukri threw his shoulders forward.

Donatello looked around to search out Jenna, and saw his wife sitting up with two young teenage girls. He couldn't tell what they were doing, and curiosity sprang up in his mind. The turtle backtracked a few steps and went to meet them, laying a hand on Jenna's shoulder.

"Jen, you're not pushing yourself, are you? You're still really weak."

The smile she gave him in the low lantern light could have bowled him over. "I'm okay, Donny. I might be better if I had the Battleshell to back me up."

He shook his head at her. "If crashing through one wall would bring down this army, I might just let you do it, Jen."

"We're doing the next best thing," Jenna offered sardonically. "Joshua has us all praying. We're okay, Donny, I promise." She tugged on his arm to invite him down to her level, and he willingly met her in a meaningful kiss.

The purple-masked turtle felt a blush rising as he caught the other girls grinning, and suddenly felt more like a teenager again.

"Keep looking after us." Jenna motioned for him to return to his former position.

As Donatello jogged to the line he saw Joshua standing with Shukri, and both human and elohim were staring up at the energy shield. The turtle sighed at the brilliant light reflecting off of it, indicating a direct hit. "How much abuse can that shield take?"

From the way they jolted, it was clear that he'd startled them.

"With all of our energy reserves shifted to the shield, they can withstand a tremendous amount of pressure," Shukri said. "As for how long it will last underneath this assault? Only El knows."

Joshua nodded enthusiastically, as though that was a good thing. "We are better off being in the hands of El than if we had a 1000 other shields just like it."

Donatello shook his head. _A little more security wouldn't hurt, if you asked me. That and a few hundred thousand men on _our_ side. _He couldn't help wondering where his brothers were at that moment, and how they were faring. It was a naked feeling to be separated from them during a fight and not know what was going on.

_I miss the days of being their technical eyes and ears, and moving as one small unit. I don't think that I was ever called to fight in a war. _His grip on his bo staff tightened as he noticed the enemy surging from a distance, and realized that more of the troops were pouring into the valley. _But I'll do war with _anyone_ who tries to put one hand on our civilians. They'll never forget who they fought tonight, even if _we_ don't live to tell about it._


	91. Stand

Raphael was in constant motion, even though he was staying within a tight area to make sure that he wasn't separated from Brandon. The number of enemies made it necessary for the turtle to constantly weave from one place to another, to avoid being pinned down by too many opponents. He blocked the barrel of a gun swinging toward his head with the outer edge of a dirk, whipping his other weapon around to deflect a second strike from another direction.

The red-masked turtle spun the dirk in his left hand and raked it across the unprotected throat of the gunman. He paid no heed to the Overlord as he fell, flowing immediately into another attack pattern. Raphael rapidly rotated his hip, delivering a powerful kick to his other attacker's jaw with all the force of a jackhammer.

In the brief moment he had to breathe he searched for Brandon, and laughed at the elbow strike the bronze-haired man delivered to his assailant's nose, driving the surprised Overlord to the ground._ These aliens think they can throw their weight around and take us down easy just because they're bigger than us. They've got another thing coming._

Raphael grinned secretively as he sensed someone quietly approaching from behind him. The turtle waited patiently, pretending to be transfixed by the way Brandon was absolutely trouncing a member of the so-called "Elite". _Someone should have schooled these Overlords a little more in hand-to-hand combat instead of focusing so much on target practice._

His would-be attacker was nearly on top of him as Raphael silently counted down in his mind, waiting until what he deemed was the last possible second before spinning around like lightning. He automatically raised both dirks defensively, meeting a short rod with a strangely curved blade. The Overlord gasped at the force with which the turtle met him and _tried_ to back up, but Raphael already had a dirk buried in his right arm.

"Don't try sneaking up on a ninja, punk." Raphael smirked as he sliced his other dirk across against his attacker's jugular.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone lunging toward him, and Raphael spun around to face the alien. He walked in a circle along with the Overlord for a couple of seconds, and then exploded off the ground to grab the giant's shoulders. The move pulled the elohim off balance, even as he tried to grapple with the turtle in return.

His opponent never managed to get a finger on him. Raphael caught him up by the right knee, and buried his head in the Overlord's chest to block the alien's other leg from gaining any control. Raphael locked his elbows around his enemy's leg and then whipped the creature around, using the elohim as a shield against the other two dashing toward them.

After initially repelling them, Raphael's feet left the ground in a spinning kick that collided first with one alien skull, and then the second. He rolled through the air with a flourish before landing on his feet and looking around for Brandon again.

The red-masked turtle was instantly concerned when he saw the man covering his head with both elbows to block a ruthless assault, but in the blink of an eye, Brandon went from being the victim to being on the offensive. He darted toward the Overlord's midsection, and Raphael nodded with appreciation when a large fist flew harmlessly over Brandon's back. The bronze-haired man had his arms wrapped around his assailant's waist and rapidly flexed his legs to drop and drag his enemy to the ground.

The wind of an imminent attack prevented Raphael from watching how the man finished the alien off, and the turtle instantly snapped to attention. He didn't try to step out of the punch coming toward him, but blocked it with his arm instead, then delivering a swift palm strike to his opponent's jaw. The second that the elohim faltered, he secured control of the Overlord with a strong blow from his knee to the alien's torso.

The red-masked turtle whirled around as he heard another coming, and laid his eyes on the monster of all Overlords. The soldier eyed him disdainfully, rather than rushing to meet him as the others had.

"Having _fun_ are you, terrapin?" the elohim said mockingly.

"Yeah, I am," Raphael retorted. "In a fair fight you idiots wouldn't stand a shot in hell against us."

"Let us see if you feel the same way after facing _Barak_, terrapin."

"Is referring to yourself in the third person supposed to be intimidating? 'Cause it doesn't do a thing for me, Gigantor."

"I left a mighty enough impact on your brother in the ring, terrapin! They probably heard that scream for miles."

Raphael's rage blazed white-hot, and he had to pretend that his feet were stuck in the sand to prevent himself from launching at the alien. He couldn't always keep his cool, but years of experience and battles had tempered his emotions enough to prevent himself from constantly flying off the handle.

Barak lowered his shoulder as he charged at him, and Raphael dodged left around his bulging arms. The Overlord's foot shot out, nearly catching the turtle's leg. Raphael avoided the strike and hurriedly corrected his stance, right before Barak's hands came down menacingly on his shoulders, then traveled to his throat. The brute force of his enemy made the turtle grunt with exertion as he fought to keep his balance. The urge to panic was momentary as the proper reaction rocketed through his frame.

Raphael brought one arm down against Barak's wrist like a lever and his other hand snaked toward the Overlord's collarbone. The elohim stumbled backwards from the reflexive pain produced by the pressure point, but the turtle had him by the wrist and directed the alien where _he_ wanted him to go.

In one smooth motion he released his hold on Barak's collarbone, snatched a dirk, and jammed the blade through the Overlord's throat. Raphael shook his head at the shock in Barak's eyes as he collapsed with a writhing motion.

"Never mess with a ninja, Barak, _or_ their little brother."

* * *

><p>Jazz was growing increasingly unsettled by waiting inside the vector grid that had already suffered one collapse, and barely had enough room for them to enter the tunnel to begin with. She shot a look at Kamryn beside her, whose arms were drawn protectively over her chest.<p>

"I think we've got to get out of here," Jazz told her. "If there's another cave-in, we'll be trapped for sure."

Kamryn nodded but didn't say anything. Leaving the relative "safety" of the vector grid meant exposing themselves to whatever insanity lay on the other side. They'd never heard from Haim, and it left Jazz paranoid concerning what could have happened to the elohim.

She bit her lip as she shimmied across the cavern floor through the crawl space, and emerged to face the opening of the tunnel. Heart pounding, Jazz ventured toward the entrance, and witnessed the image of the protective shield over their heads with wonder. _It's too bad we don't have time to learn more about their technology and how to reproduce it._

Awe changed into horror as she gazed below at the vast sea of figures _surrounding_ the shield. The valley already looked overrun with enemies, and yet the majority of the hoard had yet to even enter the energy field. _Hiding like little boys because they can't use their guns yet. Cowards._

A cry leaped to her lips as she saw a bolt of energy break across the opposite side of the force field. It left no lasting impact on the shield, but the blows that continued to rain down upon the barrier were still unnerving.

Jazz swallowed as she stuck her head out of the entrance, searching for a way down. _If the shield dies, we don't wanna be stuck up here. They could turn this tunnel into rubble in two seconds. Most of these elohim don't fly, so it stands to reason that they've gotta have another way…_

She spied a narrow foot path and glanced back at Kamryn. "We need to go now," she hissed, as though someone was listening. "We don't want to get caught up here."

Once more Kamryn nodded, and Jazz inched out onto the ledge. She forced down a tremor that coursed through her legs and cursed inwardly. _C'mon, don't flake out on me. I need you now more than ever. _She edged along the face of the rock wall, her breathing quickening as she forced herself to pick up speed.

Jazz could hear Kamryn trailing behind her, but tried not to keep looking over her shoulder. _What is it that the guys always say? Awareness is everything. Stay alert of your environment, and you can avoid being dead-meat a lot easier. Or in my case, it just means I get to see the thing _before_ it kills me._

Jazz silenced the disturbing thought and tried to fixate on the current task of just getting down the mountain. Small rocks scattered with her feet as she moved much faster than she was comfortable going on the heights, but she was desperate to reach the safety of the ground and the warriors.

Jazz was moving so quickly by the time she rounded another ledge, she barely managed to skid to a stop without tripping over her own feet or falling to her death. She also couldn't prevent the strangled gasp that left her throat upon seeing the tall shadows attacking the side of the mountain in their path. Three of them were wielding dangerous-looking pointed pickaxes in an effort to break up rocks, and another two instantly took notice of the girls.

Jazz backpedaled so rapidly that she almost ran over Kamryn, then grabbing her companion's wrist to drag her the other direction. In a flash the Overlords were striding after them as the young women ran back up the mountain they'd been descending.

"Jazz, we've got nowhere to go!" Kamryn cried.

"_You're_ part super hero," she retorted. "Find a way down from here while you still have the chance!"

"I'm not leaving you behind!"

"But I'm slowing yo—" Jazz never got to finish, because someone had caught her up by the legs. The young woman went down hard on her knees, but rolled to avoid being pinned by the Overlord and to escape the drop-off from the ledge. She heard Kamryn yell as she was dragged down too, and caught a brief flash of the woman kicking an elohim in the head before her _own_ Overlord stepped in front of her.

Jazz only felt like she had one gift besides her prowess with a computer and decided it was the time to employ said talent. She screamed at the top of her voice as she struggled with the elohim who was yanking her off of the ground. The young woman clawed at her assailant furiously with her fingernails, kicking out with both feet as he drew her over his shoulder.

Her flailing hand got a good grip on his hair and she dug in her fingers to jerk his head back with all of her strength. The Overlord spun around, hurling her against the rock wall with all of _his_ might. The sharp edge felt like razors against her cheek and her head was spinning before she even hit the ground. Jazz's heart skipped as the elohim's shadow fell over her again, and the grim expression in his face communicated that her fate had already been sealed.

Another gasp erupted through her throat as something whizzed through the air directly above her like a guided-missile, ramming the Overlord into the wall even harder than he'd just thrown _her_. Jazz managed to scramble out of the way without ever taking her eyes off the rescuer who'd chosen an opportune moment to show up. The Ruairi was using taloned nails in a strangle-hold against the elohim, ripping through his throat in a vision of sheer violence that _would_ have been disturbing if the alien wasn't saving her life.

Jazz looked for Kamryn and saw the young woman standing on her feet, solemnly facing another of the Ruairi.

Kamryn held the alien's gaze without flinching."_Xyljah xi_."*

"_Ra kyn yadsii_," **he returned.

When a strong hand grasped Jazz's shoulder, she almost screamed again.

"It is all right, human," Lajos assured her.

She looked back at the Ruairi with wide-eyes. "What part of this is all _right_ to you?"

"We are going to get you down from here and take you to the Center."

Jazz motioned toward the path. "There are more Overlords right down there breaking up the mountain!"

Lajos nodded. "They are trying to cause rock slides. There are yet more of the enemy on the ground trying to pin our warriors against the mountain so that they have no way to escape. The Overlords can imagine many ways to kill us. Come, human, we should not remain here!"

Jazz didn't think before throwing her arms around the Ruairi's neck, and he didn't hesitate from taking off either. The sensation of flight was much more dizzying this time around, but that could have had something to do with her reeling equilibrium too. She buried her face in Lajos' shoulder, willing herself not to look down.

"Are you the one who screamed?" Lajos asked, as though they were in a position to have a normal conversation.

"Uh huh."

"It was impressive. You could rival one of our own warriors for volume."

"I don't know if I can call that a compliment, but I don't care right now."

"You caught our attention, human, and that is the important thing. We were going to come back for you, we simply kept getting tied up under different enemies. We _were_ coming back".

"What happened to Haim?"

"He was wounded rather badly, and lost his link in the process. It took both my partner and I to get him to safety in the valley. It is good that you were able to reach someone else on _your_ link to help with the shield."

"We didn't reach anyone else. Common sense won the day," she replied. "Well, maybe it hasn't won quite yet."

"I do not know what you mean, human, but I am taking your word for it."

* * *

><p>*Thank you.<p>

**I am honored.


	92. Pinned

Leonardo didn't have time to think as his katana rose and fell, barely finding a moment to pause in between enemies. He was engaged in complete fluidity of movement, redirecting the energy of his attackers' strikes against them with a smooth confidence that belied the encroaching threat.

In a typical battle he might be forced to kill someone who was threatening him badly enough, but this fight was anything but normal. With every alien he cut down, there were dozens waiting to take their place, and there were no higher authorities or police to turn the Overlords over to. There was only the cold hard truth that he had to kill or _be_ killed, and the blue-masked turtle meant to continue living.

Leonardo fully extended both swords as five of the soldiers tried to surround him, using the sharp points as painful indicators of the fate of whoever was foolhardy enough to charge him. He eyed the Overlords grimly, silently daring them to make a move. For a few seconds the aliens hesitated, before bolstering strength from one another to mount what they must have believed to be an insurmountable offense.

The soldiers' light armor provided no protection from his katana; the Arsiterite cut through the material like hot wax, so that every strike he intended to deliver met enemy flesh. Leonardo wheeled the blades in two directions in order to deal with more than one Overlord at a time.

The turtle ducked under a heavy rod that came within inches of his head, and drove a katana through the midsection of the alien waiting on the other side of his spin. He dropped neatly out of range from the rod a second time as it pursued him, but kept his feet planted while he waited for another opportunity. As Leonardo had expected, the persistent Overlord raised the rod a third time, and he struck the alien across the chest the moment his arms were out of the way.

The sound of his orange-masked brother's whoop resonated in his ears and Leonardo glanced to his right to see Michelangelo's nunchucks spinning like twin torrents of destruction.

"You gotta come just a little bit closer," Mike urged two elohim who were keeping a modicum of distance from the turtle. "You don't see demonstrations like this every day, much less get to be a part of the act!" he chortled. "A volunteer from the audience please!"

The whirlwind that was his youngest brother launched toward the uncertain Overlords, who seemed dumbstruck by Mike's behavior alone. The echoing of thunderous _cracks _was all Leonardo heard as he was forced to focus on another elohim who'd had the bright idea of trying head-butt him in the plastron.

The blue-masked turtle grinned as he hooked an arm around his attacker's throat, bracing his other arm against the Overlord's shoulder. He drove the alien straight toward the ground, jerking his neck at the proper angle to break it. Leonardo heard the sickening snap, and knew that his opponent was dead before he even hit the sand.

He spun in the direction of Michelangelo and saw the youngest turtle flick both nunchucks over his shoulders in a showy display while he trotted away from downed adversaries.

"Don't get _cocky_, Mike!" Leo shouted warningly, taking the moment's lull to get closer to his brother's position.

Mike only smiled at him. "It's not cocky, Leo; it's just plain _good._"

Leonardo shook his head but didn't have time to say anything else, because someone was already darting his direction. His eyes fixed on the spear being menacingly displayed, and he slowly circled the new warrior with both katanas ready. The Overlord hefted the spear, raising it to his shoulder as though he intended to hurl the weapon. The turtle tensed as he waited for the motion of his enemy's wrist, but it never transpired. Instead the soldier dashed forward, leveling the weapon with the intention of impaling him.

Leonardo blocked the spear with both swords, forcing the point down into the sand before snapping it cleanly through the middle. Even as the Overlord gasped at the speed of the maneuver, the turtle's blade was slicing underneath his chin.

When Leonardo turned his head again, it was just in time to see someone catch his brother from behind. His feet left the ground to fly Mike's direction, right before realizing that it wasn't necessary. The orange-masked turtle grabbed one of the Overlord's arms and used the alien's own weight as a lever to flip the alien straight over his shoulder. Leo pulled up short as Mike's assailant hit the sand, and his youngest brother drove a fist into the Overlord's heart like a sledgehammer.

"You don't get to bust out the death punch every day," Michelangelo muttered.

Leonardo opened his mouth to respond, but an unearthly bellow cut him off from speaking. He whipped around with concern only to see that the small group of men that had been trailing him and Mike were fully engaged with soldiers, using pickaxes and another tool that appeared to be a hammer on steroids. The six men looked like a swarm of wasps that refused to be separated, and they were using their tight knit circle to drive the aliens backwards.

The blue-masked turtle smiled when he heard Ezra's Irish brogue rise among them. _This battle has been about three decades in the making for him. I hope he's enjoying it._

"Leo!" Mike's sharp voice drew his attention once more, motioning to the mountain behind them. "Check that out! What are they _doing_?"

Leonardo followed the direction he'd indicated to see a few of the Elite quickly ascending a path that led up the mountainside. It didn't look like they were chasing anyone from his perspective, but their actions were still highly suspicious, and he didn't want the activity to go unchecked. "Mike, c'mon!" he urged, immediately turning to run after the soldiers.

Michelangelo bounded to his side, and the two turtles moved rapidly to make up for the elohims' head-start. In a few moments time they were starting to close in on the aliens, and the Overlords were quick to display their disapproval. One of them immediately pointed a gun toward them, and Leonardo sensed that it was no idle threat.

Leo dived out of range just before the soldier fired on him, and instantly looked for Mike, who'd flattened against the rock wall.

"I thought they couldn't use their weapons inside the shield, Leo!"

"That isn't what Ghyath said! He told me that they would stand a significant chance of—" Leonardo never got to finish as he was forced to roll out of the way of the hell-bent elohim who was continuing to fire on them. Leo's heart rate picked up while he pictured more of the soldiers going for their guns, since it was clear that the danger in using them wasn't as great as the Nalikjan had assumed.

The gunman descended the path further, taking a momentary lapse as he tried to determine if he'd hit anyone. He caught sight of the crouching turtles and fired once more, but this time a flash like lighting split the air above the alien's head. The Overlord was struck down to the ground by the force of the interacting energies, and didn't move again.

Leonardo exhaled at the sight of his enemy's smoldering form. _Yeah – I'd say using guns inside the force field probably isn't worth the risk. _He whipped his blades back out of their holders as the other soldiers came down to meet them, forming a chain brigade across the path. The determination in their faces alone convinced Leo that they'd been up to no good.

The blue-masked turtle didn't hold back from attacking the line. He sensed that Michelangelo was at his side, but he couldn't even hear his brother now. He was completely consumed with the enemies in front of him, who seemed intent on driving him off the mountain.

Leonardo knew that he could handle the impact of the thirty-foot drop, but he wasn't about to be separated from his brother that way. Two Overlords tried bracing each of their guns against his katana to force him to the edge. Leonardo smirked as he drove a heel into one of their chests like a battering ram to stun him, and brought the newly freed sword arm around to impale the other soldier.

He felt rapid motion to his right and glanced over to see Mike hurling himself down to make a sacrifice throw that catapulted an Overlord several feet through the air. Leonardo was about to dispatch the enemy _he'd_ only stunned moments before, when an unwelcome sound greeted him from overhead. Even without looking up, he _knew_ that rocks were coming for them.

"Mikey, _move_!" Leo caught his brother by the arm to haul him off the ground. "Jump!" he ordered, right before throwing himself off the path into thin air. The thunderous crashing of rocks in his ears reminded him that danger wasn't far behind.

The blue-masked turtle landed with outstretched feet to meet the ground, and did a quick roll to maximize his distance. He heard Mike's grunt as his brother hit the sand behind him, and Leo lunged to his feet when it was followed by a cry that made his blood run cold. The air completely left his lungs when he realized that Michelangelo had been pinned by a sheered stone, which was also barely supporting several rocks above it.

Leo raced back to him in a near panic to find Mike breathing rapidly, already squirming on his side underneath the rock. One look at the way the stone shifted was enough to make the blue-masked turtle shout. "WAIT! Don't move, Mike, whatever you do!"

The individual rock was probably no more than three hundred pounds, and the majority of that weight had captured his brother's shell. The process of Mike's struggling had revealed the danger that the jagged edge offered to his neck, and the possibility of more stones coming loose.

"I'm sure I can get you out of there, Mike, but you have to let _me_ do it. Does anything hurt badly?"

"It's got my arm," he rasped.

"Okay, it's okay," Leo calmly reassured him. "Don't struggle." He was only able to afford a few seconds to the contemplation of the best way to free him before he felt shadows descending on his back. He took a sharp breath. "Mike, I'm not leaving you. I'll be right back. Don't you move!"

"Leo—"

"I mean it!" Leonardo rose from the sand and turned to face a larger group than he'd expected. The Overlords formed a tight semi-circle around him as he drew his blades again. "You _really_ don't want to mess with me right now!" he told them. "I won't hesitate to kill _all_ of you!"

A figure toward the middle chuckled. "This is a change in fortune. Here I was starting to believe that we would not be able to find one of you terrapins at all, and now we have _two_ in one stroke."

Leonardo didn't falter in his stance, glaring at the speaker. "Touch me or my brother, and you'll regret it."

"There is strength in your words, terrapin, but they alone cannot defeat us."

At the Overlord's nod the others began advancing, and the circle began shrinking in on the turtle. Leonardo felt a strong surge of adrenaline as he readied himself for the clash. He saw a short blade arcing straight for one of his katana, as if the wielder wasn't even attempting to strike _him_ outright. He was bewildered by the lack of ferocity behind the blow, and further convinced that the alien wasn't _trying_ to harm him.

The blue-masked turtle parried left, while rapidly scanning the approaching enemies. _Something isn't right here – they're too hesitant! They outnumber me at least ten-to-one. Why aren't they going for the kill? _

Leonardo read the tension in the speaker's form a second before the elohim leaped in to join the others, but he refused to give up any ground. Nothing was getting near his little brother if he had anything to do with it. He expected the frontal attack, but he _didn't_ foresee the cloud of sand hitting him in the face.

Even as the grit blinded him, the turtle didn't lower his katana, stabbing and striking whatever unfortunate soul happened to be within reach of his rage. He knew the blades were making connections with the soldiers, but he also felt their hot breath closing in on him.

Leonardo had just finished burying a katana into something solid when a pair of hands wrenched his sword arm. He didn't release his grip on the weapon and tried to spin to the right to break the hold of his assailant. He didn't get to complete the turn before something metallic snapped around his forearm.

A wave of intense heat rolled over his senses, and then complete exhaustion overtook his limbs. Mike's pained cry was the last thing he was aware of before his vision went dark.


	93. Fire

*This chapter truly calls for a background track. You'd wanna wait until you're about halfway through, and then cue "I still have a Soul", from the Epic Soundtrack line. You can find it on Youtube. ;)

* * *

><p>The sight of the blue-masked turtle going down was too much for Michelangelo to take. He wrestled furiously through the sand as he tried to free both his shell and his arm, grunting when the rock slipped down harder on his shoulder. He couldn't see past the dark forms of the Overlords that surrounded his brother, until one of the aliens hefted a limp Leonardo over his shoulder.<p>

"No! Leo!" There was no stopping the cry as it came up, not even the fear of the soldiers possibly killing _him_. Anxiety turned to rage when the Overlords turned and ran without giving the orange-masked turtle a second glance. _He has to be alive! Why else would they take him? I've gotta get up!_

Mike renewed struggling with an angry shout, ignoring the blood he could feel sliding down his arm. He caught his breath as the rock shifted again, and the pressure became pronounced against the side of his head. Smaller rocks cascaded right over him, and nearly caused him to panic. Amidst an effort to breathe normally, he heard someone rapidly approaching. _Coming back to finish me, or did you send one of your little buddies to do it? God forbid you give a turtle a fighting chance._

"Michelangelo!"

A familiar accent greeted him instead, and Mike glanced up carefully out of the corner of his eye, not daring to try and shift his head. He couldn't see Ezra until the Irishman dropped down to his level and inhaled sharply.

"For the love of God, Michelangelo, _don't _move," the man ordered.

"They took Leo!" he exclaimed. "Ezra, Overlords took him! You've gotta go after them!"

Ezra shot to his feet, and it sounded like he was scanning the immediate area. "How long, turtle?"

"It was only a couple of minutes ago! They couldn't have gotten that far; you have to find him! Just leave me and go!"

The man bent back down and shook his head. "Your brothers would flay me alive if I did that, Michelangelo. One more wrong move, and you could be dead, understand me? It shouldn't take long to get you out, and we _will_ find Leonardo."

"Ezra, you have to do this for me," Mike pleaded. "You have to help Leo. He's in worse trouble than I am!"

"Do you even know where they went?" Ezra asked distractedly, focusing on the surface of the rock pinning him rather than the turtle.

"They went…that way…somewhere…" Mike trailed off, unable to point out which direction the aliens could have taken his brother. "This is important, Ezra; _Leo's_ important to us. You need to take your guys and go after him!"

"You're all important, Michelangelo, and we can have you out in just a few moments. We only need to apply the proper leverage to support the rocks so that you can escape. Are you feeling pain anywhere other than that arm?"

"No," he answered through gritted teeth. "If you're gonna do it, please hurry!"

Ezra called something out that the turtle couldn't understand, and then he heard the sound of more feet coming. The men had a rapid discussion out of his limited range of vision, while Michelangelo grew more frustrated. He could do nothing but wait helplessly while they formed their plan, and then returned to help him.

"Stay still, Michelangelo!" Ezra advised.

He cringed as the men crowded in on him, and noticed them forcing the handles of their pickaxes under the rock pinning him. Upon Ezra's signal they lifted the burden, and air rushed back into his lungs full force as the threatening pressure left his head, following his shell. The men braced the stone against the side of the mountain while Michelangelo scrambled out of the way and gained his feet with the help of his good arm. He winced at the sound of several stones collapsing at once as the men carefully released the load.

"Michelangelo, wait! WAIT!" Ezra yelled at him as the turtle seriously considered fleeing. "You're hurt!"

"I'm fine!" he retorted, ignoring how his right shoulder sagged. He already knew that it was broken, and it wasn't going to stop him from pursuing his brother.

"You're not fine!" Ezra insisted, grabbing his good wrist.

"I can still fight with one hand! Stop slowing me down, Ezra, they're already way ahead of us!"

"Michelangelo, you could have other injuries—"

"And you seriously think that matters to me? The only help I want from you is in chasing down Leo!"

The Irishman cursed under his breath. "You're all too stubborn for your own good!"

"Why do you think we're still _alive_?" Mike bellowed.

"You're giving yourself a worse shot at living if you don't let me do anything, turtle! At least let me _look_ at your shoulder."

Michelangelo clenched his jaw but didn't prevent the man from carefully probing his arm. He hissed as the man's hands applied a little more pressure, but managed not to pull away from him.

"I feel at least three breaks, Michelangelo! You shouldn't be fighting!"

"As long as I'm breathing and I can stand on my own feet, I'm _fighting_, Ezra. Now can you do something to help it real quick or not?"

The man exhaled. "I've got nothing to create a splint, but perhaps a sling could at least support it. Give me half a moment, turtle!"

The orange-masked turtle rolled his eyes, knowing that it would take longer than "half a moment". He supposed that the man was working as fast as he could to fashion something, but he could also see another line of attackers bearing down on them. Mike grasped his bad arm protectively against his chest, drawing a single nunchuck as their enemies were closing in.

Mike's fury exploded along with the first blow of a handle that crashed into his assailant's jaw so hard that it whipped the alien's entire body backwards. As another instantly sprang up behind the Overlord, the turtle saw a kick heading for his chest and rapidly dropped his nunchuck so that he could capture the alien's thigh. He kicked the soldier's other leg out from underneath him in a seamless follow-thru, and then sent a powerful heel strike to his enemy's head.

A third elohim who _tried _to jump him was cut off by the blade of a pickax slamming into his unprotected back.

"Thanks." Mike nodded at the human with gratitude, then retrieved his fallen weapon and whipped around to look for Ezra. "We've gotta _go_, dude!"

"I know, I know!" Ezra hurried over to him. "Be still for a second longer!"

Ezra shook his head as he wrapped the fabric sling he'd mustered around Mike's neck. "I still don't think this is a good idea on your part, Michelangelo!"

Mike grunted painfully as he shifted his arm through the supportive wrap. "I don't care what you think!" he said plainly. "Are you going to help me look for him?"

"We will be behind you, turtle, until the _very_ end!" Ezra declared.

_That might not be too long from now_, Michelangelo thought uneasily. _But while we're still around, there's no reason we can't take a bunch more of them out with us._

The pain of his injury melted into the back of his mind as the turtle charged forward, in the general direction he assumed that the kidnappers must have gone. Mike knew in his heart that the chances of finding his brother were small, but he also couldn't bring himself to abandon Leonardo without even making an attempt.

The men fanned out on either side of him as he yelled like a maniac, which felt like the only natural thing to do as they plowed toward their impending death. The sea of writhing bodies outside the force field seemed close, so close to joining the fray and ending whatever hope they had of being able to win the battle, yet it wasn't going to dissuade them.

The rain of blows on the energy shield above their heads was increasing. Michelangelo had almost tuned the distraction out, but now the flashes were coming with such frequency that the light never seemed to dim.

An Overlord whipped the barrel of his gun toward Mike's injured shoulder. The turtle twisted out of his attacker's reach, then returned to drive a nunchuck into the alien's skull. He saw one of the men go down to his left, and the glittering blade that the soldier wielded was poised to thrust through him.

Michelangelo reacted instantly, leaping straight off the ground and unleashing his leg like a coiled spring in a brutal strike to the Overlord's ribcage. The man rolled across the sand to recover his "hammer" and darted back over to drive the alien's death home.

The human nodded appreciatively at the turtle, who didn't have the chance to return the motion before being faced with another foe. The sight of a solider furiously dancing around him with a dirk was an annoying one, and he spun his lone nunchuck like an angry hornet bent on revenge.

"Dude, I am so not in the mood to dance with you right now."

The alien charged and Mike's nunchuck shattered first the Overlord's wrist, followed by his temple.

The sound of an explosion over their heads gave Mike the instinct to duck and cover, but a loud curse from Ezra made the turtle look up. With horror he realized that the energy field had been breached, and the protective "bubble" that had guarded them against enemy fire for the last several minutes was in fact, gone.

"We're done for," the Irishman murmured.

Michelangelo gave him a sharp look. "We're not dead _yet_, Ezra!" He tightened his grip on his nunchuck even as a tremor washed over him. He couldn't help fixating on the air ships floating overhead, spelling their certain doom. He felt like shaking his fist, even though he knew it wouldn't do any good.

The surge of enemy troops was unleashed, and the hoards of Hell began their approach. The orange-masked turtle shook his head regretfully. _I wouldn't mind it so much if I could go down fighting with my bros beside me, but I guess it'll still be easier on all of us to die at once instead of losing each other one-by-one._

A blast of unexplainable heat struck him in the face, taking his breath away with its intensity. When he dared to raise his head to the sky, the turtle saw nothing but fire. Impulse drove Michelangelo to the sand, burying his head between his knees.

He felt the incredible heat of flames as they rushed past him with the sound of a sonic boom, and expected death to overtake him at any given second. He sensed the fire mere inches from his skin, but no burning sensation accompanied it. Of all things, curiosity is what finally made Mike raise his head to look at the phenomenon with his own eyes.

Everywhere he looked there was nothing but impenetrable flames, blocking him and his companions at every turn, but not _touching_ them. The wind howled around them like a tempest, and the raging inferno continued to grow until several pillars of fire stretched hundreds of feet into the air.

Michelangelo stared at the oddity, so transfixed by the sight that he couldn't have escaped from the columns of fire even if they weren't _trapped_ among them. Time seemed to stand still until a resounding crack like a dozen lightning bolts assailed Mike's ears. The fiery pillars collapsed on themselves back into the sand, and the flames went out as though some mighty breath had extinguished them.

It took Mike a couple of seconds to realize that he wasn't breathing, and then to comprehend that he was _alive_. The orange-masked turtle hovered on his knees in the sand, slowly turning to take in the entire scene of the dark valley. Where the fire and wind had raged moments before, a deadly silence was left in their wake. He could see no threatening air ships lingering overhead or menacing army preparing to plow them down like daisies. The fire left no evidence of where their enemies had once stood.

Michelangelo took a deep gulp of oxygen, and his breathing rapidly caught up with him. He tried to rise, but his legs were shaking too badly to support him. In that moment when he was still too amazed to speak or cry, the wonder was shattered by overwhelming fear for his oldest brother, who'd been _in_ the Overlords' hands when the strange storm struck. A sob tore through his throat as he tried to get up again.

"Be careful, Michelangelo!" Ezra's voice was quietly insistent, sounding just as awestruck as the turtle had been.

"_Leo_," was the only reply he could manage.


	94. Overcome

Donatello's heartbeat had yet to settle into a normal rhythm. The purple-masked turtle's first inclination after the shock of the firestorm lifted enough for him to _move_ was to look for his brothers, but he didn't feel the freedom to leave the Center. Some serious injuries had trickled their direction over the course of the battle, which required the help of what few hands were available. Yet Donny was mystified by the complete _lack _of casualties from their side, and it was contributing to the sense of wonder permeating his mind.

Jazz had stayed close to his side, though he repeatedly told the young woman to sit down with the other civilians. He'd given her a careful examination when the Ruairi had brought her and Kamryn down to the Center, and had been satisfied that her head injury wasn't serious. Just the same, he was tempted once more to tell Jazz to get off of her feet.

"DONATELLO!"

A loud yell reverberated in the turtle's ears, and interrupted his temptation to tie Jazz down somewhere. He whirled around to see Ghyath rapidly approaching.

"Your brothers are looking for you!" the golden-eyed elohim exclaimed. "It is urgent!"

The elohim's words sent chills down Donatello's neck. "_Where_? Where are they?"

Ghyath motioned for him to follow him, and Donny immediately sprang into motion. He heard Jazz puffing along behind him, and didn't even try to prevent her from coming too. The elohim cut a path straight through onlookers who were still too awestruck to do anything. Everyone from the Nalikjan to the Ruairi, the ducaz and the humans were mostly frozen in time, unable to break from the spell that had been cast over the valley.

Donatello picked out Brandon's taller form first, but Jazz called out his name before the turtle could. The bronze-haired man dashed their direction, leaping over someone kneeling in his way to get to them. Brandon immediately caught Jazz up in his arms, and the young woman shuddered uncontrollably in his grasp.

The man brushed her cheek with concern and then anger flashed in his eyes, "Someone put their hands on you? I'll kill them!"

"He's already dead! I think they _all_ are," she returned shakily.

"Donny!"

Raphael's voice interrupted Donatello's silent witness of the two humans, and he saw the red-masked turtle and his younger brother surrounded by a number of humans. His breathing hitched when he realized that Michelangelo was injured, and couldn't walk without assistance.

Donatello's feet flew across the small space that separated them. "Raph! Mikey – what happened? How are you hurt?"

"Donny, I'm okay," Mike insisted. "We've got bigger problems!"

"Why are you on your feet?" Don chided. "Come sit down and let me get a better look at you!"

"Donny, _listen!_" Raphael ordered tightly. "Mike saw Leo get taken. Some Overlords ran off with him a few minutes before the whole fire show."

The purple-masked turtle felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of him. "Taken…? Where did they go? He was alive?" His voice shook as the last question left his mouth.

"They didn't try to kill him, Don," Mike said weakly. "It looked like they _wanted_ him alive. You've gotta find him!"

Donatello nodded, but couldn't bring himself to rise from Michelangelo's side just yet.

"Donny, it's my _arm_," the orange-masked turtle emphasized. "Go. Find. Leo."

Don took a deep breath. "You're right." He glanced around until he found Jazz. "Will you look after Mike and make sure he gets the attention that he needs? We've got to search for Leo."

Jazz looked paler as she nodded, but was quick to release Brandon's hand. "Go with them, Bran. Bring him back."

As the purple-masked turtle was preparing to set off with Raphael and Brandon, Ghyath suddenly reappeared.

"I am recruiting a few more to search for your brother. We are going to spread out to look in all directions," the elohim told him.

Donatello nodded gratefully, though he was starting to feel numb inside. _If Leo was caught up on the Overlords' side, what are the chances that he could have survived that firestorm? _He shook off the discouraging thought and put all of his pent up energy and adrenaline to work, immediately outpacing Raphael and Brandon. He knew that they were probably already exhausted from the fighting, but he wasn't going to slow down for _anything_.

Ashes were mingled with sand, creating a strange powdery mixture underneath his feet. The scent of smoke lingered in the air, as if the very atmosphere was still charged by the power of the storm. Seeing the remnants of crashed air ships in the distance, Donatello decided to head for them without discussing it with his companions.

Donny's eyes constantly roved his surroundings as he ran, but he couldn't see anything left of the enemies that had seemed as numerous as the grains of sand at his feet. _I don't understand it. I saw the fire with my own eyes, but I still can't believe it! It was close enough to destroy us _all_. How in the world could something of that nature be so selective? We should be dead too._

The purple-masked swallowed while his feet continued plowing through sand, and Joshua's words suddenly rang in his ears. _The battle doesn't belong to you. _Goosebumps prickled across the surface of his skin as he glanced at the night sky and saw the murky clouds beginning to break up.

Don squinted in surprise when he saw what resembled _stars_ emerging in the inky blackness, from every corner where the clouds were being driven. Even on the clear nights in the wilderness he'd never been able to see anything like the dazzling display unfolding before his eyes. Peace and hope rose in his heart at that moment, although he couldn't explain why._ Leo is alive. He's alive and we're going to find him. _He returned his gaze to the flat land of the desert and allowed Raphael and Brandon to catch up with him.

"What are you thinking, Genius?" Raphael asked. "Where do you wanna start looking? We could split up over a larger area or—"

"Shh," Donatello urged. The calm that had settled over his mind made his brother's voice sound unnecessarily loud in his ears. "Leo's going to be okay, Raph."

"But where do you wanna start?" he persisted.

Donatello closed his eyes briefly, questioning the peace that consumed him. _Okay. Where _should_ we be looking? _He opened his eyes and turned around, trying to take in the entire valley in a long sweep. He could see small lights flickering and several shadows moving as the rest of their army snapped out of their daze. He also saw groups spreading out, probably doing the same thing that _they_ were currently doing.

As he turned back to the West, something unusual caught the turtle's eye. The light of a newly revealed full moon was glinting off of a winged figure who was hovering about forty feet away from them. Even from that distance, Donny could tell that the stranger was too large to be a Ruairi.

While he watched, the creature ascended higher above the ground, now picking up speed. Don's brow furrowed as silver moonlight seemed to _reflect _off billowing luminous white wings, and curiosity drove him forward.

"What _is _that?" Brandon wondered.

Donatello shook his head. "C'mon!" He tried to keep his eyes on the alien as it continued to climb, watching for the strange reflective quality of the winged figure that burned through the darkness rather than being hidden by it. For a few seconds it was still visible to the naked eye, before it suddenly vanished. The purple-masked turtle halted in his step, staring at the last spot in the sky where he'd seen the creature.

"What are we doing?" Brandon asked.

"I'm not gonna stand _here_ all night, that's for darn sure!" Raphael proclaimed.

Donny started moving again without addressing either of them, continuing in the direction where they'd seen the odd creature. He picked his way around the smoking remnants of an air ship and found a small outcropping of rocks on the other side. As he started to circle the stones, a sign of movement attracted his attention.

Donatello held his breath as he came upon someone crouched low to the ground, his head nearly brushing the sand. The air released from his longs with a sign of immense relief as he laid eyes on his trembling oldest brother. "Leo! Are you all right?"

The blue-masked turtle raised his head to look at him, but seemed to be incapable of producing a response. Don instantly dropped to the ground beside him, searching for injuries. Leonardo stared at him mutely the entire time, his brown eyes containing an almost hypnotized quality. Donny didn't push him to speak, satisfied just to discover that he appeared to be unharmed.

"Can you get up, Leo?" Donatello asked, and his brother shook his head once. "That's okay – we've got you. Raph, you want to give me a hand?"

The red-masked turtle looked nervous as he approached to help lift Leonardo off the ground. "Bro?"

Leo looked at Raphael, but said nothing.

Raphael turned to Donny. "Did you find anything wrong?"

"Not outwardly. It could be psychological, Raph, in which case he might need a little bit of time before he responds to us. Let's just get Leo somewhere he can rest, and I can take a more thorough look at him."

His brother agreed without argument, releasing a deep breath as they got underway again. "I feel like…like I've been dreaming, Donny. Does _any_ of this seem real to you?"

"Not really, Raph; but at the same time, it was way _too_ real to have been a dream."

A shudder ran through the red-masked turtle's muscular shoulders. "Do you know what this means, Donny? We get to go _home_."

When Raphael's voice broke unexpectedly, it made a tear come to Donatello's eye too. "Yeah," he said with a soft sense of amazement. "We do, don't we?"

Brandon turned to face the turtles, yet continued walking backwards. "Can we get this flight scheduled sometime soon? Because this layover has lasted for long _enough_."

"Man, you can say that again," Raphael muttered. "But you better start looking where you're going before you run into something."

Brandon grinned so broadly that it seemed months of shadows built up under his eyes lifted in an instant. "There isn't anything that could ruin this moment for me, Raph." The man stumbled and nearly fell an instant later when the ground trembled underneath their feet with sudden force. "I stand corrected!"

Donatello swayed to keep his balance, alarm leaping up in his heart as the ground ahead of them split open. The tremor was short-lived, but the crack in the earth's crust continued traveling across the valley.

"What NOW?" Raphael was completely exasperated.

Brandon trotted ahead of them to the point where the crack had started, and knelt down to examine the ground. After a moment he drew his hand out of the crevice and revealed droplets of moisture. "Water!" he exclaimed. "It's coming up from the ground. Look!" Even as the words left his mouth, the liquid was spilling over the edges of the fissure.

Donatello chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't get it, guys, but I don't feel like questioning anything right now. Let's keep going so we can put Mikey's mind at ease."

They picked up their pace again, running alongside the cracked earth to return to the center of the valley. Murmurs went up from the crowd as they carried Leonardo past, and Donny felt a growing sense of pride and gratefulness toward the elohim for the relief he saw in their eyes too. When they made it back to the Center they found Michelangelo sitting up with Bahri's support, and Shukri doing an in-depth examination of his shoulder.

Shukri shot to his feet when he saw them and a smile broke across his face. "Blessed El, Leonardo _does_ live!"

Mike's blue eyes widened as he started to climb to his feet. "Is he okay? Is Leo all right?"

"I couldn't find anything obvious," Donatello assured him. "He may be suffering from some version of shock."

"Stay down, Chucklehead," Raphael ordered. "Let Donny and Shukri do their things for _both_ of you before you go bouncing off any walls."

The orange-masked turtle looked around. "What walls?" Then he turned back to Donny with a more serious look. "Are you sure he's okay?"

Donatello nodded. "He should be all right, Mike. I think we'll _all_ be okay now."


	95. Rested

Raphael was tired. After what they'd been through that night, sleep seemed like the obvious solution, but it wasn't coming. _Maybe it's because I'm still worked up over what happened, or I just have to be sure that my bros are really okay. _Whatever the case, his eyes felt like they were on fire while he sat up in the bedroom by himself; the only one crazy enough to be awake.

He and his brothers were back inside the catacombs, along with many of their fellow combatants. The fires that had been roaring inside the caverns had been inexplicably extinguished sometime during the battle. Despite some structural damage to doors, there were many rooms that hadn't been torched badly by the flames.

The red-masked turtle was sittting silently in a chair, alternating between watching his brothers and friends sleep, and waiting for Donatello to return. _If he decides to come back, that is. Genius might not take any breaks while it seems like somebody might need him, and a bunch of people were hurt. I hope he's not pushing himself too hard either. I should go look for him and put my foot down…like he'd listen to that._

Raphael's gaze turned to Brandon and Jazz, smiling at the way at the way the woman was curled against him. The two humans had been the last to drift off, and the turtle chuckled over the thought of how they'd clung to each other ever since they'd regrouped. _I can't blame them. Bran could have lost Jazz out there tonight. Shell, we _all_ could have been lost, or would have, if it wasn't for…_It was impossible to think about the fiery pillars that had erupted in their defense without getting goosebumps. _Of all the crazy things I've seen or heard of, that fire storm has to be the winner. I'm almost afraid to go to sleep, like I'll wake up and find out that all of this was a dream._

Upon another impulse to check on Donny, he suddenly rose. His protective side felt like he needed to stay and watch over his family, though he knew that they didn't require a babysitter. _But if Leo wakes up and feels like talking…_Raphael shook his head. _He'll talk when he's ready, and that shouldn't be tonight. Leo's got to rest._

Raphael looked at the door. _Okay. Just a few minutes to sneak away and catch up with Donny, and then I'll return to my post. _He moved quietly across the room, and closed the door slowly so that it wouldn't make a sound. He wasn't sure where to begin searching for his missing brother, and decided to look for any face that he recognized first.

The red-masked turtle walked past a couple groups of congregating Nalikjan, who each paid him respect with their formal hand signal, but he didn't know any of them by name. He decided to stop by the last two that greeted him anyway. "Do you guys know what they're doing with the injured? My brother's probably helping them out, and I'm trying to find him."

A male elohim nodded. "They decided to group them together, so they needed a large space. I heard that they were using the hall for that purpose."

"Thanks." Raphael turned to go the other direction, walking toward the familiar room.

There was evidence of the fire inside the tunnel he was traveling down. He could see signs of soot, as well as scorched doors which remained intact despite the damage. The answer as to how the wild fires had simply burned out was no easier to discover than the reason that they'd all survived the fiery assault of the valley when their enemies had been destroyed. The turtle rolled his eyes. _There isn't a logical explanation for any of this, and there's no sense in trying to create one._

When Raphael reached the main hall, he peered hesitantly at the makeshift Triage. After a few moments he ventured inside, and began looking around for Donny. The turtle walked slowly around the perimeter of the room until Shukri crossed his line of vision.

"Hey," Raphael called. "You seen Donny around here?"

The elohim nodded. "Your brother has been very busy. He appears to be extremely skilled in this field."

The red-masked turtle snorted. "He ought to be. But Donny will also forget to eat or sleep if someone doesn't keep on his shell. I figured I'd come by and see how he's doing for myself."

"I am not certain where he is, but I will help you look for him."

He wasn't about to push the _taller_ alien's help aside, not for the way Shukri could take in the entire room in a sweeping gaze. They picked quietly through the space where most of the injured were already asleep, until Raphael was rewarded with the sight of his purple-masked brother kneeling beside one of the ducas.

"…the important thing is to keep the stitches clean," Don was saying in his most official tone, indicating a spot on the alien's thigh. "I doubt it will leave much of a scar, but you don't want to deal with infection. It's not fun."

"I will do my best, terrapin," the ducaz said meekly.

Raphael cleared his throat and Donny glanced up at him.

"Oh. Hey, Raph. Is everything okay?"

"Yep. Everyone's sleeping like babies, 'cept for me and _you_," he finished pointedly. "How you holding up, Bro?"

"I could use a couple pots of coffee."

"You could _use _some sleep. You're not a machine, Donny."

Shukri nodded his agreement. "The serious injuries have been dealt with, Donatello. It would not be a bad thing for you to retire with your family."

Donny got to his feet. "I don't want to leave anyone in a lurch. Are you sure I can't do anything else?"

The elohim smiled. "I am certain you could do more yet, but you should be keeping an eye on Leonardo too. There is no telling when he may stir, and your brother could need your attention."

"That's true…" Donatello trailed off. "But before I go, finish telling me about Mike's arm."

"What about it?" Raphael asked at once. "It's just broken, right?"

"Yeah, Raph, but Shukri was telling me about some type of technology that they have in Arcadia…" He looked at the elohim to elaborate.

"Yes," Shukri affirmed. "Bones are not difficult to mend. If we gain access to the lab, there is equipment there that can repair his arm within a few minutes."

"What do you mean by 'repair'? Will it actually be fixed?"

"It will be in perfect working order."

Raphael whistled. "No kidding. Where were you guys a couple years ago when my leg was totally busted to pieces?"

"I could try to calculate—"

"That wasn't a serious question, Shukri," Raphael inserted, and turned to Donatello. "Are you coming?"

The purple-masked turtle looked over his shoulder one more time. "Yeah, I guess I should. I'll uh…I'll catch up with you in a few hours, Shukri. Get some rest too."

"I will, terrapin. Thank you for all of your help."

"I was happy to do it. Good night, Shukri."

As the two turtles left the hall and began the short walk to their room, Raphael threw an arm over his brother's shoulder.

"You always gotta be the brainiac wherever we go, huh, Bro?"

Don shrugged. "I couldn't watch people suffer when there was something I could do about it."

"I ain't putting you down, Donny. You're the best at what you do."

Donatello shook his head. "The injured will be better off when we can get everyone to Arcadia. Their technology is extremely limited out here."

Raphael made a scoffing sound. "You can't let me say something nice to you, can ya?"

Donny opened his mouth and then quickly shut it as if he'd changed his mind. "It's late, and I'm starting to feel loopy. I think I just need some sleep."

"Well it's nice of you to admit that for a change. Take away your caffeine and you start behaving more rational."

Donatello gave him a dirty look, but Raphael couldn't feel bad. His brother had made that _way_ too easy.

* * *

><p>There was no way of telling what time it was when Raphael woke up again, or was <em>woken<em> up by his youngest brother's squeal to be more accurate. He groaned at once, picking up his pillow to fling it. "Mikey, if you don't shut your mouth—"

"Go easy on him," Leo said calmly. "It was a long night for all of us."

The red-masked turtle shot up so quickly that he nearly fell out of bed. Michelangelo was already leaning over the end of Leonardo's bed, and the blue-masked turtle was sitting up effortlessly without any evidence to his former condition.

"Leo, are you okay?" Raphael still had to ask. "Where's Donny?"

"He'll be right back, Raph," Mike told him.

"He chose _now_ to disappear?"

"Bro, I'm _fine_," Leo insisted. "Thirsty, but okay otherwise."

Raphael took a deep breath to contain his racing heart. "Where's everybody else?"

"They're around, Raphy," Mike assured him.

Raphael peered suspiciously at his older brother, unable to accept that he was really all right. Before he had the chance to ask any more questions, Donny burst through their door with a large flask in hand.

"I'm sorry, Leo. I really should have thought of that beforehand," Don apologized.

Raphael immediately turned his concerned eye on his purple-masked brother, but Donny seemed at ease, even though he'd entered the room as if he'd been running for miles. Leo scooted to the edge of his mattress and took the flask from him. After drinking deeply, the oldest turtle's brown eyes already looked brighter.

"Wow, that's good," Leonardo exclaimed.

"Keep drinking, Leo," Donny urged. "There's more water out there than anyone knows what to do with."

Raphael's brow creased. "Out where?"

Don finally looked at him. "That fissure in the earth from last night? It turned the valley into a _lake_, and it's the best water I've ever tasted."

"Are you trying to be funny?"

Donny shook his head. "No, that's not on my agenda. I'm going to put out a call real quick, Leo. You need to eat before you do anything else."

"I'm not hungry," he said. "I don't need anything right this minute."

"You still have to eat."

"I will. Make your call, but then get back here so I can talk to you guys."

Donatello only disappeared outside for a couple more minutes, and then returned to pull a chair over and join them.

"Ezra picked up your katana," Raphael offered suddenly. "He figured you probably didn't wanna lose another pair."

Leo nodded. "I appreciate that. I'll be glad to get them back."

"Leo…what happened?" Mike was the first to ask.

The blue-masked turtle exhaled softly, rubbing his temples. "It's hard to believe that it was real. Part of me thinks that the entire thing could have been a hallucination, but…something's telling me that it wasn't. You guys could probably help confirm some of this. Did you see any sign of fire?"

The other three turtles looked at each other.

"You mean the giant pillars of flames stretching hundreds of feet above our heads, Leo?" Donatello asked. "Yeah. We saw them."

Leonardo averted his gaze, looking at the floor. "I remember a deep fog, but I don't think it was physical. My mind was fuzzy…things weren't really clear. I think that those Overlords managed to get an energy binder on me, but I don't know how long I was out. When I came around, I was facedown in the sand. I could hear voices above me, but I didn't know what any of them were saying."

He paused for a long beat. "I heard a ship. It sounded like it was landing. I remember thinking that I was about to be carried off somewhere. That was just a few moments after…the shield. Did it go down?"

Raphael nodded. "I'll say it did."

"The Overlords were cheering. I knew that something really bad had happened, but there was nothing I could do about it. I was stuck. No energy, no power to _do_ anything. I wondered how long they would leave me lying there, _wishing_ that the earth would simply crumble beneath me. I thought that death might be quicker than anything the Overlords would do, but then…"

Leonardo looked up at them. "There was a mighty wind. It was so strong, I thought it might have been another one of those sandstorm things. But _this _air was hot, so stifling that I couldn't breathe. I figured I was going to suffocate, and that would be the end of me. The heat kept building until it felt like I was inside of a furnace, and I still couldn't get any air. The sand felt like hot coals beneath me, and I was sure that it was burning my face." The blue-masked turtle touched his cheek lightly, as if to reassure himself that his skin wasn't harmed.

"For a few seconds I heard others crying, screaming, but then their voices got lost inside the incredible force of the wind. I was going to die. I _knew_ I was going to die. There was no questioning it. I couldn't do anything more than gasp for oxygen, and the smoke was starting to billow around me. I was prepared for every second to be my last.

"Suddenly I felt pressure against my shell, like someone was on top of me. I figured an Overlord was going to get to kill me after all, but then I felt something soft draping over me. I couldn't identify the material, but it instantly muted everything else. I could hear the wind and sense the heat, but under this…this cloak there was fresh air. I could breathe again. I didn't even smell the smoke.

"I felt energy coursing through my limbs. I knew I would be able to move if I tried, but I didn't dare. I was being protected. I understood that much, even if I didn't know _how_. It seemed like it lasted a long time, but I can't be sure. When the wind and fire withdrew and I finally opened my eyes, I was faced with crystal lightness. It's the only way I can think to describe it. They were wings – huge wings had covered me."

The blue-masked turtle hesitated, and unexpected tears were threatening. "When the wings lifted, and I saw the face of…Guys, I've never seen anyone like it. I felt weak all over again, and too amazed to ask any questions. The stranger didn't say anything either; he didn't have to. His face glowed like he was _made_ of light, and I…I was afraid. The power that I sensed coming from him was indescribable.

"He helped me sit up, and I didn't fight him. I was terrified, awestruck and breathless all at the same time. I don't remember when he left…or when you guys found me. But I wasn't alone in that fire. Whoever, _whatever_ it was, he saved my life."


	96. Arcadia

It was a strange feeling for Leonardo to look upon the streets of Arcadia under such a different light than he had previously. It had only been two days since the attack on Zokcimel; two days since the battle to end all battles had concluded with a firestorm consuming their enemies. It had taken well over 24 hours just for everything to sink in, and for the blue-masked turtle to realize that they were _free_. Two different planets had been delivered in a single stroke, by an act so powerful that the very thought of it still made him emotional.

_How could I have ever believed that we were capable of saving the Earth on our own, as if I could strategize something great enough to outwit our enemies? This was never about any of us pulling off a victory. If it was up to us, we'd be dead. _Leonardo shivered, though he wasn't cold. _I doubt I'll be able to explain this rationally to anyone who wasn't here to see the battle with their own eyes._

Leonardo broke off the thought to look out the window at Arcadia again. The evidence that the fire had also visited the city was visible everywhere. Entire buildings had been reduced to ashes, and there were no signs of life from the structures that _were_ intact. It looked like little more than an abandoned ghost town.

His right hand automatically gripped the hilt of a katana. Ghyath hadn't expected to meet a real resistance inside the city. By the sheer force of the numbers that had appeared on the doorstep of Zokcimel, the Nalikjan's leaders were certain that nearly all of the Overlords' army had been summoned to make an example out of them.

Leo still felt nervous enough that his heart skipped a beat when they began their initial descent over Arcadia. _Really? I just witnessed the most incredible display I've ever seen deliver us from the Overlords, and I'm still anxious about going inside of their city? There has to be something wrong with this train of thought._

He glanced around for his family and found everyone glued to the windows, with the exception of Don and Jenna. The purple-masked turtle was sitting with one his wife's hands entwined through his, and they were exchanging quiet words that Leonardo wasn't going to _try_ and decipher. His gaze lingered for a moment on Jen's pregnant belly, and he couldn't help shaking his head.

_It didn't seem probable that there could be a happy ending waiting for us. But here it is in black and white; all the pieces are coming together, and we're going to get to go home. _The mental image of a blond-haired Calley made him exhale. _We've got to get there as soon as we can. Our family has been waiting for us long enough._

Leo reached to unbuckle his seatbelt as the ship touched down and climbed somberly to his feet. His hand grazed a katana one more time, but he willed himself not to draw the blade. _If anyone out there has guns, my swords won't do a lot of good anyway._ He glanced back out the window to see the other ships landing around them, and waited for instructions to begin moving from the elohim.

Ghyath emerged from the cockpit, as he'd insisted on flying the ship himself. The golden-eyed elohim met Leonardo with a small smile. "The others are still arriving, but I thought that it would be all right to go ahead and disembark."

Leo nodded. "This is your show, Ghyath. I'm not here to tell you how to run it."

"I would not have the courage to run _anything_ if it were not for you, terrapin," Ghyath said seriously.

"You always had it in you," the blue-masked turtle countered. "And when my brothers and I leave, I'm sure that you'll continue being the leader that you're meant to be."

The elohim shook his head. "You helped me break through barriers much more quickly than I _would_ have." He sent a glance to the main hatch. "We should go. I do not want the remaining people in Arcadia to think that we are planning to attack them."

Leonardo motioned for Ghyath to lead the way, and fell into step with Raphael as they waited for their turn to step off of the air ship. He noticed the red-masked turtle's fingers hovering closely to his dirks, and grinned to himself. _Old habits are hard to break. I only hope we're being paranoid._

Leo looked over his shoulder and smiled wider at the excitement in his youngest brother's face. _I bet he's picturing some scene from the end of a Star Wars movie right now. I'm not about to ask him._

The city felt just as silent on the street level as it had appeared to be from the air. If there was anyone else still in the area, they were clearly avoiding notice. _If the shoe was on the other foot, I'd probably want to stay out of the way too. _Ghyath and Bahri were herding everyone toward a location that they'd chosen in advance, and Leonardo was surprised when the neighborhood began to look familiar.

The blue-masked turtle stretched to reach Bahri's sleeve. "Is that what I think it is?" He pointed at the burnt out remnants of a building that had long since been reduced to ashes.

"It _was_ Central," Bahri confirmed. "We already received word that this portion of the structure was gone, yet the underground bunker remains untouched."

"What will happen now?"

"We mean to reassure those who are left, Leonardo. There are several elohim here, though you have not seen them yet. A terrible dread has fallen upon this city," Bahri explained.

"Yeah, I can't imagine why," Raphael volunteered.

"How will you communicate with all of them?" Leo asked. "Do you have to scour the entire city to find them?"

"The crystal network is still in operation," Bahri answered. "Ghyath will use it to contact anyone who is willing to accept his hail."

Leonardo surveyed the square they were entering and then looked back. He estimated that there were already about a hundred of them closing in on the ashes of the former Central headquarters of Arcadia. Their group was so quiet that their feet hardly made a sound as they spread out into a semi-circle across the open area.

Bahri stayed close to the turtles as Ghyath separated himself with Kenric on the other side. The blue-eyed elohim held up his crystal toward Leonardo as the stone flashed to life. "You see? He is going to try speaking to them now."

Leonardo waited with baited breath, but was mildly disappointed when Ghyath launched into the elohim's own language.

Bahri motioned for the turtles to gather up closer to him and began translating in a low voice. "He said, 'Greetings friends, Annunaki and humans alike. We already have knowledge that the entire city was not devastated, and we come to you now in peace."

The blue-eyed elohim paused for a moment, and then continued. "'You who would love Light rather than darkness, you have nothing to fear from us. We do not wish to hurt anyone. Come out from wherever you are; come to the center of your previous glory. You will find that there is nothing left to fear.

"'But those who would oppose us, who would seek to enslave or kill the innocent, you will _not_ find mercy. We wish to be friends and not enemies, but this behavior will not be accepted. Come out and let us be brothers.'"

Leonardo held his breath as he stood transfixed, wondering if anything would happen. The response was painfully slow, but while they held their ground, a trickle of figures began to form down the main road of Arcadia. He drew his light cloak over his katana to conceal them, now wishing to hide them from the sight of the trembling aliens approaching them like they were on their way to an execution.

The blue-masked turtle tried to display an encouraging expression, but the terrified souls seemed beyond consoling. As minutes passed, more and more of the aliens and former human slaves filtered into the square, until they far outnumbered those of the Nalikjan already gathered. The strangers found no comfort in their solidarity, but appeared just as frightened as they'd been to start with.

All at once Leonardo heard Ghyath call out for Joshua, and the turtle looked around for the human. He hadn't seen the South African man among the rest, but Joshua emerged into the open beside the golden-eyed elohim to address the onlookers.

Bahri motioned to the turtles again before beginning to tell them what the man was saying. "'El speaks peace to all of you. He has never had it in His mind to reject you. Only you have the power to make that choice. Only you can choose to turn your backs on the wickedness of your former leaders, mentors and guides, who only dealt in darkness.

"'The Light may seem dazzling and overwhelming to your eyes for the shadows you have long lived in, but it does not mean you any harm. You come to us with dread and intense fear, but we have come to _you _to demonstrate that there is hope. There is hope for every single one of you.'"

The stillness in the atmosphere could have been cut with a knife, until aliens fell, first one-by-one, and then in groups to their knees. The murmur that rose from the elohim sounded both awestruck and desperate to Leonardo's ears.

"They plead for us only to have mercy on them, and call _us _the exalted ones." Bahri shook his head. "This is something that the Altus tried to instill into all of us. Their fear of punishment is so great that it may take some time before these people find healing."

"What will happen to them?" Donatello asked quietly.

"We will be patient, and convince them that we are not 'lords' as the Supreme Commander dictated. We will try to show them love as El has shown us." Bahri broke away from the masses to gaze toward the remains of Central.

"Since the underground bunker is intact, we should be able to access all of the vital equipment which is necessary to aid in the physical healing of the injured. We can go ahead and start in that direction if you would like. Shukri wants to take care of Michelangelo's arm as one of his first tasks."

Leonardo started to agree, but he was distracted by a different sound that he hadn't expected to hear. The voice of someone singing made him hold up his hand to prevent Bahri from moving. "Wait a minute. I want to hear this." He focused on the familiar tone, remembering the young woman from the prayer meeting that he and Raphael had attended.

"_Fear not, fear not the tempest night_

_Shadows pass 'way before the Light_

_The curse of death lifted from your head_

_Here you now find grace instead_

_A love so vast it penetrates_

_Through every chain and heavy weight_

_Fear not, fear not, beloved of El_

_For His mercy is so great that none can tell."_

Leonardo felt a pang of regret as his group started toward the building. "They won't all believe, will they?"

Bahri shook his head. "No…and it is not our place to attack those who do not agree with us, or see the Light as we do. Our battle was with those who wished to destroy us. Those that are left behind will be shown mercy, whether they choose to accept El or not. It is our hope that they will come to know the grace that transformed our lives, but we will not _force_ them either direction.

"At the same time, we will not compromise with the pride or arrogance that could once again attempt to elevate our race above the heads of others, or establish ourselves as gods. As you are fond of saying, Leonardo, all of life has value, does it not?"

The blue-masked turtle nodded emphatically. "It does, and lives should _never _be taken lightly."

Bahri sighed. "I wish that I had more time left with all of you. I fear that I am going to forget things too quickly to make a proper record."

Leonardo reached for his shoulder. "It's not words that matter, Bahri, but the change that's already happened inside of you…and none of us can truly take the credit for that."


	97. Incentive

Ezra couldn't help feeling a little uneasy about the crowd that continued to swell in the main square of Arcadia. If it had been up to him, he would have waited to announce himself to the surrounding neighborhoods until he was certain of how many had survived the fiery assault of the city. He'd already seen far more strange elohim than he was comfortable being around.

The attitude of the atmosphere was the only thing that prevented Ezra from seeking refuge somewhere else. In addition to the electric fear of those who were coming to "surrender" to the new power, he also sensed humility; a trait he'd never come to associate with the elohim until meeting the members of the Nalikjan.

_Maybe they _can_ change, _he thought silently. _I've already seen elohim transformed on a smaller scale. Now that the rotting influence of Abeiron is out of the picture, perhaps these people do have a shot. _Ezra wanted to embrace the theory, but it was difficult. For over three decades, the Overlords had been his captors, the ones who'd ripped him away from the only home he'd ever had.

Ezra sighed softly as he considered the door that had been reopened for him to return to Earth, to leave all of the foolishness of the life he'd suffered on Zuhur far behind. _It doesn't seem like there should be much for me to think about. I can't find one good reason not to go back to Earth. That's where I belong. _He crossed his arms subconsciously as he gazed around at the fair faces of the golden-haired elohim. _They'll always be the ruling "power" here. Even if things are improving in that department, it doesn't give me enough incentive to stay._

_I should take the turtles up on their offer. If I don't have any living family members, I could easily be a member of theirs. That wouldn't be a bad thing from my perspective. _The hesitation he was experiencing in his spirit was unexplainable. It made absolutely no sense. _Not so long ago, I didn't have any options at all. Now I have the opportunity to make a choice of my own, and I'm struggling to make the decision. If only there was—_

Ezra cut the thought off suddenly when he noticed Kenric hurrying toward him, and his heart rate increased at the sight of the elohim's haste.

"We have a situation forming a few miles from here," Kenric said breathlessly. "Your assistance would be beneficial."

"What kind of situation?" The Irishman was baffled that the elohim would seek out _him_.

"We have several more…guests arriving. I do not think they are convinced of our peaceful intentions."

In a flash Ezra understood what the elohim was saying and couldn't help laughing. "In other words, you have a small army of slaves marching on the city, and you don't know what to do with them?"

"Would you be willing to help us diffuse them, Ezra?"

The red-haired man smiled. "I'll do my best."

Kenric motioned him toward an air ship that was already slowly rolling into a new position. "They are waiting on us."

As Ezra followed the alien nerves leaped up stronger inside his gut. _I pray that these men will listen to reason. I know better than anyone the depth of anger and bitterness they have toward the Overlords. I hope that they will not try to start a real conflict with the elohim. The Nalikjan wouldn't hurt them. They couldn't!_

The Irishman climbed onto the ship behind Kenric, and immediately ran into Ghyath in addition to a couple more elohim.

"Thank you for coming, Ezra," Ghyath told him. "I believe that you will make a difference."

"_You _ought to make a difference, Ghyath. It was you who turned your back on evil brothers and chose to reach out to me."

The golden-eyed elohim shook his head. "They need to hear this from one of their own, Ezra. They need to hear it from _you_."

"I will try to get them to stand down, but I need your help," Ezra replied. "You can't carry weapons, and you need to find some way to appear as non-threatening as possible. They will be wary and suspicious of you, no matter what you do. I still feel that way sometimes, even after living with the Nalikjan."

Ghyath nodded. "We will do all that we can to assist you in this matter."

* * *

><p>The trip in the air ship didn't take long, but it was more than enough time for Ezra to grow more anxious. <em>This is not what people need to see from me. They have to be convinced that the planet is in safe hands. I must find a way to calm down.<em>

Before the ship landed on the edge of one of the outlying neighborhoods, Ezra could already see what looked like a thronging mob. He knew that the atmosphere was going to be very different among the humans than it had been the elohim. Upon a closer inspection it was apparent from their physique that many of them were male laborers, like the function that he'd performed for decades. The attitude of _these_ visitors was one of desperation and fleeting hope, as though they planned to make a more insane attempt on Arcadia than the Nalikjan had just been through.

Ghyath was standing behind Ezra, and the elohim touched his shoulder to indicate the balcony of a nearby building that had barely been scorched. "Perhaps it would be easier to speak to them from there. Kenric has already been setting up a monitor to project your voice. It should not take him long to complete."

Ezra knew that suspicion was likely being cast on him for being in the company of the elohim, but the crowds needed to understand that a change in power had taken place. He allowed Ghyath to lead him to the pinnacle above the city street. The noise of the cautious onlookers increased exponentially in the time it took for Kenric to finish his project, and Ezra gripped the railing of the balcony to help him maintain an even exterior.

When Kenric finally told him that he was ready, Ezra made a split-second decision to address them in the elohim's language since he couldn't know how many other nationalities were represented. The alien tongue was the one factor that could unify all of them.

"_My friends, my brothers, I do not wonder why you are approaching Arcadia this way. I, like yourselves, have nothing but bad memories of this place and the Overlords who made me a captive for more than thirty years. But you have only to look around to realize that things are not now as they were. The signs of the fire that has devastated Arcadia and the lack of soldiers bearing down upon you should be evidence of that._

"_I can tell you that two nights ago, the armies of Altus Abeiron attacked the Nalikjan in the wilderness, those elohim who chose to reject everything that the Overlords stand for. It was Abeiron's intention to destroy all of us in a single fight, but the battle ended differently that he could have foreseen._

"_I was there with the Nalikjan when our energy shield fell, and death should have been swift. Yet El, the Light Bringer responded in our defense and sent a firestorm that destroyed our enemies, while not so much as burning a hair on _our_ heads. Tell me, friends, did you see fire that night as well?"_

The people had gone silent, and Ezra took that as his cue to continue. "_The Nalikjan are not like the Overlords. Their hearts seek to do what is right, and they pose no threat to any of you. We come without weapons or deception, but only a plea for peace. I know that it will take time to forge a true trust between our races, but I believe it can be done, if we are patient with one another." _Ezra looked at Ghyath, nodding for him to say something.

"_From here I can see that you still bear energy binders," _Ghyath said. "_If you will allow us, we will remove the bands, and give you all of the aid that we have to offer. We do not mean to fight with or control any of you. Our world has changed overnight, and it will be a new life for every one of us. Whether you choose to live out that life here or wish to return to Earth, we will do everything in our power to help you."_

* * *

><p>Ezra stared down at the liquid in his glass, swirling it around slowly instead of meeting the amber eyes that demanded an answer from him.<p>

"Ezra, you said you made up your mind," the red-masked turtle pressed.

The Irishman set his cup down and rested his arms on the table. "Yes, I have. It would be an absolute honor to be considered a member of your family, Raphael. I have never met more worthy people in my life than you and your brothers. The offer is so great that I wouldn't think to refuse, but that's what I have to do. I can't go back to Earth."

Raphael looked disappointed, but didn't say anything.

"There is a large rift between the humans and the elohim, with good reason. Even settling down the mob today was a bit of a harrowing experience, and that was only a _few _of them. Many of these humans were either 'bred' on Zuhur, or have no memory of their former lives on Earth. They will probably never leave this planet, and they need help and understanding in order to mend relationships with the Nalikjan.

"I believe I'm _supposed_ to be involved in this, Raphael. I couldn't find peace over the prospect of leaving this world behind, and I didn't know why until this afternoon. Maybe things were simply meant to be this way, in the same manner that you and your brothers made a lasting impact on the Nalikjan."

Raphael swallowed. "Well…I can't say I'm shocked. You were never actually chomping at the bit to leave."

Ezra's gaze shifted to the wall of windows inside the high rise building, and he smiled at the sight of driving rain washing against the glass. "Things are changing rapidly around us, Raphael. It's as if Nature itself is traveling at an unnatural speed." Even on their way to Arcadia through the wilderness, the sight of green growth had been visible from the air ship.

"It's like the planet 'woke up' overnight," Ezra continued. "I'm excited to see what the next few days and weeks hold. I'm excited to be _free_."

Raphael smirked. "Make these elohim grow some _real_ food, Ezra, and give 'em a taste of what they're missing out on."

The Irishman chuckled. "We'll see about that, turtle. I sense that a few of them could be ready for a change of that nature too. You and your family are leaving Arcadia tomorrow, aren't you?"

The turtle nodded. "Yeah. We've been away from home long enough, Ezra. The rest of our family is probably going nuts, and we miss them too. My little girl is out there waiting for me."

The eagerness in Raphael's eyes made Ezra sad to see. _It's a disturbing thing to know that they were torn away from so much, and _chose_ to stay in order to help in an 'impossible' quest. There has never been anyone like them to my knowledge._

"I don't blame you for wanting to return as soon as possible. I heard that Bahri is accompanying you for the trip."

"Ghyath is gonna come too. Leo tried to talk him out of it, but the guy has a stubborn streak in him too. Can't imagine where _that_ came from."

Ezra snorted. "Nor I, turtle. But in any case…I will be sad to see you go. It won't be the same here on Zuhur, but your world is lost without you."

Raphael laughed. "That might be a little much, Ezra. I gotta admit that I'm not looking forward to being forced to hide again. Being able to walk around in public without freaking anyone out is a welcome feeling."

Ezra nodded sadly. "I'm glad you ended up in the back of that land cruiser with me, Raphael. It's been a strange journey from the beginning, and I never thought that things would turn out this way, but I'm ready to embrace the life that Zuhur has to offer."

The turtle grinned. "Get yourself a _woman_, Ezra. Then you'll be ready to 'embrace life.' I'm glad I ended up with you too, Man. It's been great knowing you. And if you ever decide to come back to Earth, the offer still stands. All our friends become like family to us."

Ezra glanced around as if someone were present to hear them. "Did you tell everyone else that? I'm not certain you'll have that much room for houseguests. "

Raphael snickered. "Not at the rate that our family's already growing, but I mean it, Ezra. You're a great guy, and I wish I had the chance to introduce you to the rest of our people."

"I will have to satisfy myself with having known you, Raphael, and seeing yet another injustice on the behalf of the Overlords turn into a catalyst for our freedom. That isn't something I'll be able to forget, turtle."

Raphael's arm came around his shoulder. "I'm not gonna forget you either."


	98. Wish You Well

Kamryn hadn't touched food all day, but she still couldn't bring herself to eat anything when the tables were set that afternoon. She satisfied herself with sipping her drink and merely pushing food around on her plate to make it _look_ like she was eating along with everyone else.

As she gazed distractedly around the room, she was suddenly struck by the diversified picture: Elohim, Ruairi, Ducaz, and Humans alike, all taking the time to enjoy the farewell event that had been hastily set up for the turtles. The turtles whom she'd avoided for the entirety of the day up to that point. Kamryn cast a glance to the far side of the room at the heroes' table near the front door, where she'd specifically asked Bahri _not_ to place her.

Kamryn was fighting with emotions that were buried right under the surface of her even exterior, though she knew it was a losing battle. She would lose it that much faster if her friends were in front of her. Deep down, the young woman realized that she should have been enjoying what precious hours they had left, but she felt that it would also hasten her misery.

She felt eyes staring at her, and turned back to the two Ruairi sitting across from her. Kamryn met Lajos' questioning look with a forced smile, but didn't say anything to him. _It doesn't seem possible that I can have this life. All those years of being forced to obey the Overlords wishes, be it through physical labor or giving up the rights to my body, and today I find myself seated at a table among warriors. I'm not sure if I'll _ever_ feel like I belong here, but the change in scenery is welcome. _Kamryn sighed softly, regret spinning through her mind. _If I were braver, I would go with the turtles, even if it meant I would die._

"It pains me to see you avoid the terrapins," Lajos said bluntly.

Kamryn's green cat eyes focused on the Ruairi innocently, despite that being exactly what she'd been doing. "Today isn't about me, Lajos. It's about the turtles and how important they are to all of us."

"You are important to _them_, human," he said emphatically. "Do you mean to say nothing to them at all?"

She blinked indignantly. "Of course I will wish them well, Lajos. I want nothing but the best for them."

The Ruairi nudged his brother's arm. "You cannot afford to be afraid of being open with people. When I nearly lost Mahir from the attack in Arcadia, I could only think of all the things that I had never said to him, and whether or not I would have another chance. It is not a mistake that I mean to repeat, and you should not either.

"We have been raised and taught under similar guidelines, human, so I know how you feel. We were taught to repress emotions and to control our feelings rather than allowing them to have reign of _us_. But in these last few days I have seen more loyalty and love displayed than I have in my entire life, and I would dare to say that these terrapins and the Nalikjan understand something that we do not. There is little good gained in keeping perfect control if it means being cold to those you care about. I think you should consider that, Kamryn."

"They're busy right now, Lajos. I have every intention of speaking with them before they board the ship."

"I think that Donatello would prefer to speak to you _now_."

"How do you know that, Lajos? Are you inside of his mind?"

The Ruairi shook his head. "No – but the terrapin is coming this way."

Kamryn looked over her shoulder with a jerk, and realized that the purple-masked turtle _was_ only a few feet away from them. She tensed but didn't move as Donatello approached their table.

"Hey, Kamryn," the turtle greeted her. "Did you get enough to eat?"

"Yes," she lied. "It seems like everyone is close to finishing."

Donatello nodded. "Can I steal you for a little while? I haven't seen you all day, and we were all kind of hoping to talk with you."

Kamryn bit her lip. "Yes…we should." She rose from the table and allowed her friend to lead her in another direction, not toward the front of the room, but over to a smaller side door.

When she entered the adjoining room behind him, she found the other turtles, Jenna, Brandon and Jazz waiting expectantly.

Kamryn cleared her throat uncomfortably. "So…what's happening?" she asked, only because she didn't know what else to say.

"We'll be going outside in a few minutes, but we wanted to take the time to talk with you first," Leonardo said. "We can make this brief if you need to."

"No, I…" Kamryn faltered. _Is it that obvious how difficult this is for me to do? _She smoothed light brown hair self-consciously behind her ear, and decided to simply work her way over her new friends one at a time. Jazz was the easiest person to focus on for the moment, and the woman's crooked grin made her smile in return. "If I _live_ to be a hundred, I won't forget that battle, Jazz, or what you taught me. You were right about taking the risk for that shield."

"You helped me get it back up, so it's a good job for you too," Jazz replied.

Kamryn glanced at Brandon, shaking her head. "You're going to _keep _her alive, aren't you?"

The bronze-haired man chuckled. "I'll try not to let Jazz out of my sight again."

Kamryn noticed the meaningful look that Brandon gave Jazz, though the other woman didn't seem aware of it. She turned to the orange-masked turtle standing beside him. "Michelangelo, how's your arm?"

Mike flexed an impressive bicep. "Good as new. It didn't even hurt when Shukri fixed it!"

"I was prepared to sit on him if I needed to." Raphael smirked, but then his expression grew more serious. "You've got some mad skills, Kamryn. Use 'em – don't let them fall between the cracks."

"I won't…at least…I'll try not to," she replied honestly. Kamryn took a shuddering breath as she finally couldn't withhold tears anymore.

Leonardo smiled disarmingly. "People might treat you differently, and they may underestimate you, but you can't let that effect what you believe about _yourself_, Kamryn. Your strength and abilities don't come from what other people think. The most important thing is for _you_ to be comfortable with who you are. That's when you'll reach your full potential."

Before Kamryn could say anything, Jenna stepped forward and wrapped both arms around her.

"Thank you for being a good friend to Donny when he needed you," the raven-haired woman said. "It means everything to me."

Kamryn returned the hug a bit awkwardly, but she held Jenna's gaze comfortably. "I think I gained much more from meeting Donatello than he could have possibly gained from me," she insisted. "Meeting him, _all_ of you, it's changed my life…and I know that nothing is ever going to be the same."

Kamryn gave Donatello a swift glance and looked back at Jenna. "Do you mind if I hug your husband?"

Jenna only smiled. "I'd be offended if you didn't."

Kamryn swallowed as she faced the purple-masked turtle, but she couldn't reach for him first. It was his broad arms that engulfed _her, _and then the real floodgates were unleashed. She was ashamed that she couldn't speak a single word, but only cling to him like the last autumn leaf that tenaciously refused to be parted from the tree. The sobs that came up from her throat didn't even seem like they could be hers. It took tremendous effort for Kamryn to release him, but when she did she saw tears in his eyes too.

Donatello sniffed with a sigh. "You're so much stronger than you think you are, Kamryn. You're just _starting _to discover it. Don't let anyone or anything convince you otherwise."

"Thank you for everything, Virtus." Kamryn didn't trust herself to say anything else without dissolving into tears again.

"Thank _you_," he replied. "You were the only light I had in a very dark place, and I'll always remember you that way."

"I hope that you do, Donatello. I hope that you do."

* * *

><p>Jazz took a deep breath as they emerged into the Square, and she saw the size of the group that was waiting to send them off. She chuckled to herself, earning a look from Mike.<p>

"What are you thinking?" the orange-masked turtle asked.

"That nothing like this happens in real life. I swear we're operating on some alternate plane of existence."

Mike grinned. "Ain't it great?"

"You _would_ love it."

The only clear path that existed in the square was the one that led to the space ship that would be taking them home. Their current position had never felt more surreal to Jazz than it did at that very moment. Her eyes traveled to Leonardo, and she nearly laughed out loud as she pictured the turtle wearing shining armor to go along with the knightly figure that he posed.

_It's sad that our world isn't more like Zuhur in a way, _she thought inwardly. _I don't think the guys will ever receive any of the open acknowledgement and adoration on Earth that they could get here. It isn't fair, but that's the trade off, the sacrifice they make._

Jazz gazed across the crowds once more as they neared the ship, but she found it difficult to take in the entire scene. It moved her to the point of accepting a small sense of real pride, a sensation she hadn't experienced regularly since the debacle that had sent her to prison and lost her parents' affection.

It was such an amazing feeling to be swept up in the buoyancy of the onlookers that she found herself slowing down. Brandon was lagging behind even further. Jazz reached for his hand, but the man was unwilling to pick up any speed. When she glanced forward, she saw that the others were already boarding the ship.

"C'mon, Bran," she said under her breath. "We don't want them to leave without us!"

He looked back at her with extremely serious golden brown eyes. "Jazz, I can't."

"You can't _what?_"

"I can't go back," he told her, dropping straight to the ground where he was.

"Are you going loco? What do you mean you can't go back?" she demanded.

"I just can't do it."

Jazz sighed anxiously. "Brandon, this isn't the time to lose it. I _know_ you don't like flying, but you don't have a choice here! If I have to ask the guys to hog-tie you, that's exactly what I'll do!"

"I can't go back unless you agree to marry me."

Jazz went rigid in an instant. "You're doing this _now_?"

"Yes. You're one of the most incredible, _insane_ people I've ever met, and the only one that I want to be with. It's not just a piece of paper to me, Jazz. It means a lot more than that. I want to marry you."

Jazz trembled and felt a crimson blush rising as the murmuring of those watching them increased. "Punk, get off the ground," she ordered through clenched teeth.

"Not until you answer me."

She swore under her breath. "Did you have to ask this way?"

He grinned. "I thought you _liked_ using me to show off."

"That was when it made the _aliens_ uncomfortable – not me!"

"Do you not want to?"

Jazz sighed as his expression changed from one of excitement to uncertainty. "Brandon, please get up."

"You can't just leave me hanging. I mean, if you need more time—"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't need more time, Bran. All I ever wanted was for you to ask me nicely."

"Was that not nice enough for you?"

"Get _up_ and maybe I'll tell you."

As Brandon rose, anxiety still lingered in his eyes. "Do you want to?"

Jazz wrapped both arms around his neck and kissed him in response. A hint of Brandon's smile had returned by the time she let him go. "Yes. I do."

"Good. Then we can go home," he said causally, as if he hadn't just held up the entire parade with his impromptu proposal.

Jazz tried not to smile, but she couldn't hold back. "You're a piece of work."

"I have something for you. I thought you needed a souvenir from Zuhur too." Brandon dug into his pocket as they started walking again, and came out with a small pouch.

"Did you get a chance to go shopping or…" Jazz trailed off when the shape of the object gave it away as a ring. The band looked silver at first glance, but when the surface caught the sunlight, it revealed the luminous quality of Arsiterite. Tiny gems of the deepest purple hue she'd ever witnessed combined to produce an eight-pointed star. The ring was anything but traditional or ordinary, and it made her love it even more.

"How did you do this?"

"I talked to the elohim about making it the very day I was rescued, Jazz. I knew then that I wouldn't be able to let go of you again."

Jazz slipped her fingers through his, squeezing his hand tightly. "Never. But if you ever embarrass me like that again, I'll kill you."


	99. Road Trip

***This chapter is brought to you by the song "Dynamite"! I don't own the song or Taio Cruz.**

* * *

><p>Michelangelo's eyes were wide as he looked around the main cabin of the special craft. He was so excited at the prospect of going home by a real space ship that he couldn't even sit down at first. The only thing making him grin wider was the new ring on Jazz's finger. He nudged the young woman's shoulder knowingly. "Bran really got you, huh?"<p>

"He _almost_ got slugged," she replied, but then smiled too. "I think the next week is going to be the longest one of our lives."

Mike snickered. "We'll just have to find some way to pass the time. It shouldn't be hard for you and Brandon." He was spared from her threatening wrath when Bahri came up beside them. "Hey, I don't suppose you guys have any tunes on this ship, do you?"

"Tunes?" The elohim looked perplexed.

"Yeah, music," he explained. "Every long road trip requires a few good mixes."

Bahri's expression was amused now. "We do not find much use for music on a regular basis. However, we do have access to my library through the computer, which includes music files from your World Wide Web."

"You mean you straight up pulled music files off the internet?" Jazz asked.

The elohim nodded. "All in the course of research. I would be happy to help you go through some of it later, but we should probably take our seats for right now. There is no telling how difficult our exit through the atmosphere will be."

"Will it be rough?" Brandon asked nervously.

"We cannot be sure. It was very rocky in the past, but we have seen evidence of physical changes already occurring in the atmosphere since the…event."

Michelangelo laughed. "The event. That's _one_ way to describe the firestorm."

Bahri smiled at him, and motioned to the plush oversized seats that appeared to be designed for comfort.

"Who exactly is flying this thing?" Jazz asked. "Is Ghyath taking the helm again?"

The blue-eyed elohim shook his head. "Piloting a space ship requires a team of specialists. There are four pilots and four technicians who operate from the cockpit. You can meet them later if you like. For now, it would be best to let them focus on the task at hand. We will be making our first boost only minutes after we leave Zuhur's atmosphere."

Jazz's eyebrows rose. "There are eight people in that cockpit? Do they actually need that many, or do you guys just like traveling in packs?"

"The amount of energy that is displaced when a space ship makes a jump is tremendous," the elohim said seriously. "It requires precise calculations, with very little room for error." Bahri took a seat in the same vicinity where Donatello was helping Jenna get strapped in.

"The idea of these 'jumps' still boggles my mind," the purple-masked turtle said. "I understand you've done this on a regular basis, but it doesn't make it feel any more plausible."

"We have not _all _done it, Donatello," Bahri said. "I myself have never been on a space journey."

"Then we get to experience it together!" Mike pumped his fist. "You said we have to go like ten light years?"

"That is the term that your people use for it, yes."

Brandon crossed his arms protectively. "But how far is it _really_?"

Donny chuckled. "The numbers are huge, Bran, like more than we can conceptualize. The total distance that we have to cross is somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 trillion miles."

The man's forehead creased. "And this 'jump' is supposed to take us the entire way?"

"The journey must be completed in stages," the elohim replied. "Five different boosts to be exact."

"Like one right after another?" Mike asked hopefully.

Bahri shook his head. "No, that would be impossible. That is part of the reason that the trip takes several days, even though a single jump is capable of propelling us trillions of miles. The power needed to make a boost takes approximately 27 hours to regenerate after being activated."

Donatello gave the elohim his focus for a moment. "Right. You said that a boost will take us a couple of light years. You didn't mention how _long _that takes."

"About two hours," Bahri said.

Brandon swallowed. "And the rest of the time we'll be sitting around in space doing nothing?"

The elohim nodded. "Yes, human, but there really is not much to fear. The technicians are among the best at what they do. They will bring us to your planet safely."

Donny gave the alien a curious look. "You must be a little excited too, Bahri. You've studied the Earth for all these years, and now you're going to see it up close?"

Bahri smiled. "I confess that it is a fascinating opportunity, and something that I have wanted to do for a very long time." The alien settled back further in his seat with a deep breath as the space ship began to ascend more quickly. "It also makes me nervous, as any new experience can, but we will get through it together."

Michelangelo looked out the closest window, catching his breath as the ship smoothly climbed further in the atmosphere, leaving clouds far behind. The orange-masked turtle had seen his fair share of shuttle launches on TV, but his present experience wasn't matching the pictures he'd seen. While the Earth-bound rockets needed a tremendous burst of energy just to get off the planet, the alien space craft's flight was so seamless that he wouldn't have known they were punching through the atmosphere.

Mike wanted to do away with his seatbelt so that he could get a better look out the window, but he obediently stayed in his seat. His legs vibrated with anticipation until he noticed that the elohim was staring at him.

"Are you all right, terrapin?"

Mike chuckled. "Belting me down doesn't mean you can contain me."

Raphael groaned from his seat nearby. "Chucklehead, these days are gonna feel long enough. If you start irritating me on top of it, I'm not going to be responsible for my actions."

Mike gave him a fake hurt look. "Give me some credit, Raphy. I've been known to amuse you from time to time."

The red-masked turtle appeared doubtful. "There's such a fine line for you between being annoying and entertaining."

The response Mike was considering went out of his head the moment he saw two unfamiliar elohim enter the cabin from the cockpit.

Bahri saw his questioning look and motioned to each of them in turn. "That is Gidon and Qeinan; they are two of the technicians. They have probably come to help prepare us for the boost."

Raphael warily eyed the apparatus that one of the elohim was approaching him with. "Prepare us how?"

"There is nothing to fear, terrapin," Qeinan said calmly. "All of you will be undergoing a period of suspension during the jumps."

Mike frowned, not liking the sound of it. "You mean we'll be asleep?"

"The type of speed we will be traveling at can have a negative impact on the nervous system," Gidon replied. "The mask will provide oxygen support to give you a consistent airway, and the visual cue that will trigger the suspended state. You will be roused once we return to a normal speed."

Brandon appeared even tenser. "What about _you_ guys? You don't have a problem dealing with that speed?"

Qeinan shook his head. "It affects _all_ living things. The technicians each take a different interval of the jump to oversee the process, and remain suspended the other three-quarters of the time. The same goes for our pilots."

"I guess I should look on the bright side," Brandon muttered. "If I'm going to die, I won't even know about it."

Jazz chuckled. "That's the positive spirit, Bran."

Michelangelo watched as the technicians began setting up the full-facial masks on the others, and looked over at Donny. His purple-masked brother was staring plaintively at the window, and Mike cleared his throat to get his attention. _You wanna_, he mouthed to Donatello.

When Donny nodded, they both rose simultaneously to go to one of the windows. Mike stared at the golden disc retreating beneath them, which posed such a stark contrast to their own blue-green world. "It doesn't look real, does it?"

Don shook his head. "It doesn't feel like it either."

"Terrapins," Bahri called. "It is almost time."

They willingly returned to their seats, and Mike experienced his first shiver of apprehension as a technician bent down to check his seatbelt. When Gidon offered him the mask, the turtle didn't take it. His memories of the trip that brought them to Zuhur were little more than a confused blur, but he recalled feeling like he was suffocating behind just such a mask.

"I…do I have to do this?" His voice suddenly felt small and insignificant.

Gidon knelt on the floor by his seat. "It is for your protection, terrapin. I promise that one of us will be supporting you at all times. Once the mask is activated you will see a flash, and it will induce the suspension. You will be wakened by a second flash when the danger has passed."

"I guess I'm gonna have to take your word for it, dude."

The elohim patted his arm reassuringly. "You will be all right."

It only took a couple more minutes for the technicians to finish briefing everyone else, but Mike had yet to put his mask on.

"The first boost is bound to feel the most frightening, but it will seem incredibly short to all of you," Qeinan said. "Put your masks on if you have not already, because we will be underway in a short time."

Michelangelo took a deep breath as he obeyed their instructions, slightly disturbed by the immediate suction effect that was created by the silicone material. He couldn't see anything except darkness with the mask on, and he felt himself growing more anxious while he waited for the flash.

_We made it this far once, right? No one died on the way to Zuhur, so we should get home without a problem. Home to Becky and Nate, home to the best planet ever…We're gonna get there, _he encouraged himself. Mike's hands unconsciously gripped his seat tighter. _This is beyond _anything_ I ever though—_

A burst of light on the right side of his mask interrupted the thought, and he knew nothing more.

* * *

><p>When the orange-masked turtle woke up, he jerked so hard that he would have fallen out of the seat if it wasn't for his harness.<p>

"Michelangelo?" It sounded like Bahri was standing over him.

"I can't see you," he mumbled.

He felt hands taking off his mask, and saw the blue-eyed elohim smile. "You have to remove it, terrapin."

Mike grinned. "I knew that. We're not dead, so I guess it worked, huh?"

Bahri nodded and reached down to unbuckle him. "You can stretch your feet if you would like. I would be happy to show you around the ship."

Michelangelo's energy felt like it was running at an all-time high. "I wanna see the ship, but can we find some music first?"

The elohim chuckled. "All right, Michelangelo. Do you have something in mind that you want to hear?"

"Not really. Can I just browse?"

"The American music files are still in English, so you could look through them yourself."

Mike was startled when his two oldest brothers nearly bowled him over in an effort to get to Bahri.

"We want in on this!" Raphael exclaimed. "If we're gonna be stuck out here for a week, Mikey ain't picking all the music."

"As if anyone else wants to hear all of Meatloaf's greatest hits?" Mike scoffed.

"I think Cold Play would be a great happy medium," Leo insisted.

"You _would_, Fearless." Raphael rolled his eyes. "But I'm not listening to the same dang artist the whole way home either."

"Hello? I'm the one who asked for music!" Mike protested.

"We need to take turns; it's the only logical solution," Leo allowed.

Raphael shook his head. "Leo, I don't wanna listen to a bunch of sappy songs. We need an approved list that everyone agrees—"

"Excuse me," Bahri interrupted. "I will not mind if all three of you want to browse through the computer, but Michelangelo did ask me first."

"That's right, so I'm _picking_ first," the youngest turtle said triumphantly.

Bahri touched a screen to activate it, and skipped through a couple of menus to open the files that Mike could look through. The orange-masked turtle grinned at his brothers over his shoulder before beginning to scroll through letters of the alphabet. _A,B,C…D. That's a good place to start. _He was speeding rapidly through titles, when a particular song suddenly occurred to him, and he had to see if it was listed. He released a small whoop when he found _Dynamite_.

"That doesn't sound encouraging," Raphael grumbled.

Mike ignored him and pointed out the title to Bahri. When the elohim obligingly started the file, the red-masked turtle laughed.

"Okay, Pipsqueak, that ain't half bad."

"Can you turn it up?" Mike requested.

"How far?" Bahri asked.

"How far does it go? I'll tell you when to stop."

The elohim barely inched the volume up until Mike motioned at him strongly. He gave Bahri a thumbs up when he reached a level he'd settle for, and proceeded to moonwalk down the aisle to the open area at the front of the cabin.

"What are you doing?" The elohim had to raise his voice to be heard.

"I'm stretching my legs!" he returned. "You said it was a good idea." The orange-masked turtle performed a full spin, his feet briefly leaving the floor with a bound. He laughed at the sight of his brothers meandering down the aisle to join him, and nodded appreciatively at Raphael's footwork. "See? Who's entertaining, Bro?"

His red-masked brother hooked an arm briefly around his neck. "You are. But I can still dance better than ya."

"Nuh uh, Raphy – I'll outlast you _any_ day!"

"But neither of you will look _half_ as good as me," Leonardo inserted, rapidly criss-crossing his legs in time to the beat.

"Okay, it's on!" Raphael declared.

Mike was distracted from the growing competition when he felt someone watching them, and saw Bahri and Ghyath staring as if the turtles had completely lost their minds. The golden-eyed elohim took a couple of steps closer but still maintained some distance.

"This is what you call…fun?" Ghyath sounded confused.

Leo bobbed his head toward the elohim. "It's called _balance_, Ghyath. All work and no play makes for an uptight, boring life."

The two elohim looked at each other.

"Am I boring, Bahri?" Ghyath was so serious that Mike threw his head back as he laughed.

"You dudes have no clue how great life would be if you'd loosen _up_ a little." With that he did another half-spin and couldn't resist joining in on the chorus. "_I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying ay-oh, gotta let go. I wanna celebrate and live my life, saying ay-oh, baby let's go. 'Cause we gon' rock this club, we gon' go all night, we gon' light it up like its dynamite. 'Cause I told you once, now I told you twice, we gon' light it up like its dynamite_!"

Bahri settled back down in a seat with a concerned look. "You are not actually going to go _all _night, are you?"

Behind him, Jazz suddenly laughed. "You're the one who gave them music. Now you have to live with the consequences."


	100. Phone Home

Donatello was lying wide awake on his side, staring at the numbers rapidly descending on the atomic clock. It was the middle of the "night" as far as his body was concerned, but he couldn't bring himself to relax. He was waiting for the summons from Bahri to inform him that they were finally within range to put the rest of their family's minds at ease.

The days of waiting around on the space ship hadn't been boring for the purple-masked turtle. He'd taken his time to explore every detail about the craft, and spent several hours conversing with the technicians to determine whether contacting someone on Earth was even _possible_. When the satellites had been brought into the conversation, Donatello had finally gotten excited. _I'm already prepared to do this. It won't be the first time I've had to "borrow" a satellite, and it probably won't be the last._

Fingers lightly brushed his shoulder, making Donatello break his staring contest with the clock. The raven-haired woman was gazing up at him with light blue eyes that still had the power to penetrate right through him.

"How much time?" she murmured.

"Bahri wasn't sure. He promised to let me know once we were close enough."

Jenna tugged on his arm, and he rolled over to face her.

"Sorry, I'm not trying to ignore you," he assured her. "I'm feeling really eager."

"We all are, Donny. Time might go faster if you occupy yourself with something else." She gave him a coy smile.

The turtle cupped her cheek in his hand, delighting in the warmth of her skin. "_You're_ supposed to be sleeping," he chided. "You've got the babies to think about, Jen."

"I can't help thinking about our family too. I hate that my mom had to go through this."

"We're getting there. At least we're in our own solar system."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "It's hard to believe that we're doing any of this, Donny; that we've even been where we were! Yasir had my mind so messed up that I'm still struggling to separate dreams from real life."

Donatello shook his head. "We'll probably be trying to wrap our heads around these things for years to come, Jen. I know I'll never be able to get the images of that firestorm out of my mind."

The young woman shivered. "I thought we were all going to die."

"I'm pretty sure we all thought that, with the exception of Joshua. That guy was something else."

Jenna rose up partially on her elbow. "What did you say that he called me again?"

"He didn't really _call_ you anything – the imagery was related to a dream he had about us. You were a wolf."

"What do you think that means?"

He shrugged. "It could mean a lot of things, but I was mostly just relieved to know that there was _hope_ for you." Donatello sighed achingly. "There weren't a lot of bright spots on Zuhur, Jen. It was almost impossible to believe that we'd get to this point."

She reached for his hand and drew it over to her stomach. "It was almost impossible to believe that we could ever have a baby too, let alone two of them." Jenna squeezed his fingers tighter as her gaze shifted to the ceiling.

"I love you, Donny, and having your babies _doesn't_ mean that my feelings for you are stronger than they would be otherwise. But the thought of being able to carry on the incredible qualities you have to another generation thrills me. It would be an absolute shame for it to finish here, with only you and your brothers.

"I know that everything is going to be complicated for the kids, and it makes me sad. But at the same time, I don't want this to be the end of the line. Being a part of helping carry your genes over to a second generation is one of the greatest privileges I've ever had, especially considering I was _broken_ to start with. When I was a teenager, that doctor told me I'd never be able to conceive."

"Things change, Jen. There are no certainties when it comes to life, except where this family is concerned. We may argue and get on each other's nerves. We may not always understand each other, but we won't abandon one another either. For better or worse, we're all in this together. That's one of the things that make living this kind of life worthwhile. Our kids may not have anything the normal way—"

"But that doesn't mean that their lives will be bad," Jenna filled in, smiling broadly. "I can't wait to be a mom."

"Technically speaking, you already are."

She chuckled. "I want to _hold_ my babies."

"You're going to have to wait another…four months for that, okay?"

Jenna sat up further. "It's August? Wow. Have we really been gone for over three months?"

Donatello nodded grimly. "Based off Bahri's calculations."

"Yasir drugged away a third of my pregnancy?"

"At least you and the babies are healthy; that's the important thing to me, Jen."

"I _am_ healthy." The woman tipped her head back with a playful smile that encouraged him to pursue her.

Donny kissed her deeply, running a hand over silken strands of her raven hair. Her long fingers grazed his cheek in return, and then she touched the tails of his mask.

"This isn't as soft as your regular mask."

"I know. I'll replace it when we get home," he mumbled distractedly, pulling her closer to his side.

The woman settled into the crook of his arm, but then shifted again. "It's _hard _carrying your babies. I can't figure out the right position to be in."

"Do you need another pillow? I could—"

The chirping sound of his link made him cut off mid-sentence. He snatched up the communicator with his free hand. "This is Donny."

"Hello, Donatello," Bahri greeted him. "The technicians just informed me that they are ready for you."

"Thank you, Bahri." He set the link back down and fixed Jenna with an excited look before becoming apologetic. "I'd really like to see if this thing with the satellite can be worked out. Do you want to come with me? You should be resting, but…"

Jenna shook her head. "That would mean getting dressed, and I don't feel like it. Let me know if you make some progress, and then I'll come down."

Donatello nodded. "I will."

The purple-masked turtle gave her another parting kiss, and then quietly left the room with a small pang of guilt. Once he was in the hall however, he rapidly picked up his pace. Upon entering the main cabin, he found Raphael, Michelangelo, Brandon and Jazz engaged in a card game. The temptation to interrupt them was too great.

"Hey, Jazz. Do you want to help me hack a satellite?"

The young woman shot to her feet as if she'd been electrocuted. "Those are the sweetest words I've heard in _days_!"

* * *

><p>Luke grunted in annoyance as he tugged Diamond back into the house on her leash. The Aussie Hound wanted nothing more than to run free outside with Caleb's Border Collies, but she hadn't learned the finer points of <em>coming<em> when she was called yet. The protesting puppy's nails clicked loudly across the hardwood floor of the cabin, but the moment he took her off the leash, Diamond pranced toward the kitchen to investigate her food and water bowls.

Luke hung the leash by the front door and breezed into the kitchen too. It was early enough that Reina and Olivia were just now sitting down to eat, both girls expertly spearing scrambled eggs. He paused to kiss his blond four-year-old on the head and then stepped over to greet the three-year-old turtle too.

"Luke! See doggy?" Olivia pointed excitedly at Diamond as the puppy furiously lapped water like she'd been lost in the desert.

"Yes, Liv, I see the doggy. How's your breakfast? Are you girls eating good?"

"I'll say," Rebecca remarked. "They're on their second helping of eggs."

Luke paused by the high chair as Nate banged his spoon loudly, and shook his head at the scattered debris of food on the tray. "Has he actually _eaten_ anything?"

Rebecca shrugged. "He's more interested in playing today. Are you hungry, Luke?"

"You've already got your hands full with these three; you don't have to go to any trouble for me. I'd be happy to give _you_ a hand."

Becky only smiled. "I can handle them, Luke; I've had plenty of practice. I was going to start on the next wave anyway. Caleb's routine is like clock-work, which means he'll be down in another fifteen minutes or so."

"Well…maybe I'll just get a shower and come back then," he agreed. "Be good for Becky, guys!"

"Okay, Daddy!" Reina beamed at him, waving her fork wildly, and inevitably dropped it on the floor.

Diamond raced over to investigate the utensil, but Becky grabbed it up faster.

"I'll get you a clean one, Reina," she told the girl. "Go on, Luke."

The blond man returned to the Great Room, smiling as Tiger weaved between his legs. He reached down to scratch the ear of Raphael's beloved cat, and a familiar sense of grief and loneliness leaped up in his gut. Luke slowly withdrew his hand as the feline arched her back in a lazy stretch.

"Diamond got rid of some energy outside, so maybe she won't annoy you so much," he informed the cat, rapidly trying to turn his mind to something else to keep his emotions in check. He nudged the cat gently with his foot and kept going toward the stairs that led to the second floor.

Before he could climb a single step, his phone rang. Luke withdrew the device, and expecting to see one of several numbers, but not a completely blocked entry. He stared at the screen curiously as it rang three times, wondering if there was a chance it could be a wrong number. Only a handful of people in the world knew how to reach that particular phone, and they wouldn't be calling him from a restricted source. On an impulse, he decided to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Doc?" The voice reached through the phone-line and hit him like a slap in the face. "Can you hear me okay?"

It took the man a couple of seconds to remember how to work his mouth, and then the first two words to explode were a curse. "_Donny! _I can hear you, don't you _dare_ hang up that phone!" His hand shook as he switched his cell phone to his other ear. "What's going on? _Where are you? _Are the others with you?"

"Yes. We're all here and accounted for, and everyone is okay. I don't have very much time at the moment, because I had to hijack a satellite in order to make this cal—"

Luke's breathing quickened as he cursed a second time. "What makes you think I give a flying flip about a satellite, Donny? WHERE are you?"

"It's hard to explain, Doc. We're on our way home, and I need to know where everyone is. Should we be heading back to New York or down south?"

"South," he said automatically, emotion threatening to overwhelm him now that the initial shock had passed. "We're split up, but Greg's got the Gulfstream in New York, so it would be easier for them to come to _us_. Where are you coming from? Where have you _been_?"

"Doc, there are some things that will be easier to explain in person. We have to wait until tonight. You can expect us to arrive after it gets good and dark."

Luke collapsed against the hallway wall, bracing his free hand against his forehead. "Don, we've been so scared, we didn't even know what to do…"

"I'm sorry, Doc. I would have contacted you sooner if it was possible. We've traveled an extremely long way, and we'll be there in a matter of hours. Please get everyone together. We can't _wait _to get home."

Luke took a great gulp of air. "Is everyone really okay? Do I need to be prepared for anything?"

"We're all right…if pretty hungry," he admitted. "We need some real food. Doc, if you only knew…I just can't start in on it right now. Please hold on a few more hours, and let the others know that we're coming."

"I will." The man couldn't stop his voice from trembling. "I'll get back on the phone the minute we hang up."

"And I should probably do that. I'll see you tonight, Doc. Oh, and by the way? Jen's having twins."

"W…what?"

"She's having twins."

Tears broke the surface as Luke slid down the wall. "Twins."

"We'll be home soon. Bye, Doc."

Luke could hardly form a goodbye in return, staring at the screen of his phone for several seconds after the turtle had already gone. That was the exact position Karina found him in a few moments later, as she came up from the basement with a loaded laundry basket.

"Luke!" she cried in alarm. "What's wrong?"

The man looked up at her, a smile emerging along with the tears. He held up his phone to try and explain what words couldn't. "Donny!"

Her green eyes went wide. "On the phone? You heard from Donny?"

He nodded. "They're okay. They're coming home, Karina. They're coming _home_!"

Karina dropped the basket she was toting in a flash, ignoring the way clothes spilled out on the floor as she turned back to the basement. "CALLEY! Get up here _now!_"

The bronze-haired woman dashed down the hallway toward the kitchen, screaming Rebecca's name as she went.

Calley was breathing a little heavily when she appeared at the basement door. "What is it? What's happening?"

Luke rose from the floor, struggling to keep his balance without the help of the wall. "Donny got in touch. Everyone's okay, and they'll be here by _tonight_."

The blond woman leaped with a bound and ran to join the other two young women who'd just exited the kitchen together. The sight of their tears, screams and laughter made Luke feel like jumping too, but he didn't trust his legs. The man had to content himself with watching the women dance in a three-way circle that fascinated the kids, and had Diamond hopping up to join them.

Karina finally whirled off the end, laughing as she scooped Olivia off the floor. "Daddy's coming home, Liv! Daddy's coming home!"

It was one of the greatest moments of Luke's entire life.


	101. No Place Like Home

Despite the grief that Raphael had given his younger brothers about crowding the windows to try and see things, he couldn't force himself to stay seated when the space ship made its initial approach on Earth. The vision of their world in all of its blue-green perfection was too amazing of a sight to pass up, even for him.

Over the course of an hour they'd hovered outside the atmosphere, waiting for the darkness to be complete on the Eastern Coast of the United States so they could land with the least chance of detection.

Ghyath's voice suddenly called for attention. "If everyone would like to return to their seats, we will begin our descent in a couple more minutes."

The red-masked turtle backed up to his chair and fumbled with the seatbelt for several seconds before managing to buckle it. As he gazed over the faces of his brothers and friends, he could read the eagerness and excitement that was barely being contained. He laid his head back against the seat, closing amber eyes briefly. The desire to touch down where it was safe and run to his family was so great that he could hardly stand it. _Just one more step. One more hurdle to get there._

The rapid yet seamless sensation of entering Earth's atmosphere made Raphael's heart skip a few beats, and wish that he could see more of what was happening outside of the ship. _The elohim have it under control. They do this all the time. Hopefully not anymore, _he added ruefully.

Raphael was shocked when all of the lights went out, with the exception of a couple of dim bulbs overhead. "What the shell is going on?"

"I am sorry that we did not warn you," Bahri answered. "We do not use lights once we have entered Earth's air space. It could bring unwanted attention."

"Then how did the elohim see who they were taking?"

"Using a technology that is similar to your infrared, but much more…advanced," Bahri admitted. "This is nothing out of the ordinary. According to my display, we have nearly reached the cruising altitude of your air planes. We are going to land in the flat portion of land that Donatello spoke of, roughly half of a mile from your destination. That is likely where the team that abducted you set down."

Raphael rolled his eyes. _Of all the places I ever figured we were in danger, I didn't think these mountains would be one of them. _He drummed his fingers on the armrest and refrained from saying anything sarcastic. It didn't feel appropriate somehow.

Leonardo crossed and uncrossed his arms, clearly getting fidgety too. "Are you guys sure that you don't want to meet our family?" he asked the elohim. "You don't have to just drop us and run like the entire military is on your tail."

Ghyath and Bahri exchanged a look.

"It is a kind offer, Leonardo, but I think it is better this way," Ghyath replied. "We would prefer not to…linger very long over goodbyes."

Raphael peered at the golden-eyed elohim, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. In the end, he couldn't do it. "What do you mean by that, Ghyath?"

The two elohim glanced at each other one more time.

"That we do not belong here," Bahri answered. "I would love to explore this planet from one Pole to the next, but I have already delved much deeper into this world than I have right to."

"It is also easier for us," Ghyath said bluntly. "Expressing emotions openly is still something that we are working on."

"Make sure that you _keep_ working," Donny told him. "Don't settle for being bottled up because that's the only thing you've ever known. Do the rest of us seem miserable to you?"

Bahri cocked his head, confused. "No. At times you appear slightly insane."

Raphael smirked. "There's room for all kinds of personalities, Bahri. You guys don't need to stick with one type."

The smooth motion of the ship never faltered, but Raphael felt like they were slowing down. He wanted to jump up and see how far away they were from the ground, but he forced himself to stay seated in the comfortable chair that had become a torture device.

Not until Ghyath's hand moved toward his belt did Raphael whip off the harness. The golden-eyed elohim held out a hand to stop him, but he couldn't have cared less. The red-masked turtle stumbled as the space ship lurched, but didn't fall. He rushed to a window as he heard everyone else unbuckling, and stared out at the darkness of their surroundings.

Raphael could see very little except for windswept grass, but it was enough to tell him that they were on the ground. He threw a pleading look at Bahri, who happened to be the closest to the main hatch. The blue-eyed elohim hurried to open the door, and then got out of the way.

Raphael and Michelangelo were the fastest to dash toward the exit, and he decided to let his little brother go first at the last moment. The orange-masked turtle whooped while he launched into the long grass, disappearing from sight as he rolled across the ground. He chuckled as he followed Mike and exhaled deeply when he saw the shadow of the mountains in the distance.

Raphael looked at Leonardo as his older brother threw an arm over his shoulder, and embraced him in return. "Ain't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, Fearless?"

Leo smiled. "I'll reserve that judgment for a few more minutes, Bro."

Raphael glanced over his shoulder to watch the others disembark, and he nearly laughed at the way Donatello was helping Jenna.

"Hon, I can handle walking," she assured him.

"We've been on that ship for a long time, Jen. I just want you to take your time."

"Your brothers aren't going to want to take their time, Donny! There's nothing wrong with me. I'm all rested up."

"Jenna, you don't gotta push yourself for us," Raph said gruffly. "We started this journey together, and we'll finish it that way too."

"Well said, Raph," Leo agreed. The blue-masked turtle took a sharp breath when Ghyath and Bahri descended behind Brandon and Jazz. "I guess this is it."

Ghyath nodded. "Thank you, terrapins. We are honored to have known you. I wish that we did not have to be parted, but this is proper. It is the right thing for all of us."

Leonardo bowed his head for a moment. "Thank you for getting us back here, and for supporting us on Zuhur. We couldn't have made it on our own, at least…not for very long."

"Words are difficult for me," Bahri said quietly, appearing to focus on the group as a whole. "I am glad that you will be reunited with your family, where you deserve to be."

Leonardo took a couple of steps toward the elohim. "You're both going to go home, and things won't be the same as they were. But the Nalikjan _need_ strong leaders or things could slip. You don't want to let that happen."

Ghyath shook his head. "I am still not sure that I am ready to lead an entire people."

"You already did," Leo pointed out. "You have it in you, Ghyath, if you choose not to repress it. And you're not alone. It's not a dictatorship, right? You need a number of leaders and cooperation between you in order to govern the people."

The golden-eyed elohim sighed. "Goodbye, terrapins. Whatever happens on Zuhur and however long I may live, I will always think of you as brothers." Ghyath grasped Leonardo's shoulder for an instant before backing away.

Raphael saw Bahri's gaze track his friend for a moment, but the elohim stood his ground and smiled at the blue-masked turtle.

"We came a long way from the Ruairis' first assault on the Elite, did we not?"

"Yes…because you honestly wanted to help me from the start," Leo said. "Thank you, Bahri."

Bahri took a shaky breath. "You are the most amazing creatures I have ever known." The alien's voice faltered before he could get it under control. "We must go, and you should as well. Your family is waiting."

Raphael swore he saw Bahri rubbing his eyes before joining Ghyath closer to the ship. The red-masked turtle was rooted to his spot while the elohim stared back at them for a few seconds longer, and then waved their farewell.

Their entire group huddled together in the grass while they waited for the ship to take off, and Raphael imagined that they were all equally transfixed by the remaining reminder of the incredible journey that they'd just been on. It wasn't until after the space ship had disappeared into the light cloud cover that the spell was broken.

"So?" Raphael was the first to speak. "Half a mile? That's like _nothing_. Let's go."

One glance at his youngest brother's twitch told Raphael that Mike wanted to run, but he held back. Leonardo started moving at the head of the pack, and the steady pace that the oldest turtle set felt like it wouldn't put too much strain on Jenna.

With every step they took down the path that was leading them home, Raphael felt his heart beating faster. When he finally saw bright lights illuminating the massive cabin, desire surged even stronger. He cast a sidelong glance at Brandon, grinning at the way he had his arm wrapped around Jazz. "At least nobody's gonna have to ride you two about holding out anymore."

Jazz snorted. "You punks act like we've been together for years."

"They're gonna be happy for ya, that's all I'm saying," Raphael replied more seriously. "_We're_ happy for you too."

The woman relaxed into a smile. "I'm moderately pleased too."

"Moderately pleased?" Brandon didn't seem to like the sound of it. "I don't think there's anything _moderate _about it."

"Not when it comes to this group," she murmured, leaning back against his arm.

A shout drew Raphael's attention, and the sight of a couple of people on the front porch was like the firing of a starting gun. His legs got the better of him, and he was in flat-out sprint toward the house. One of the figures dived off the porch as he emerged further into the light, dashing toward him.

"Raph! _Raph_!" Karina's voice had reached a decibel level that he wasn't aware she was capable of.

The earth flew away under his feet as he rushed to meet her. The bronze-haired woman collapsed in his arms, sobbing so hard that it didn't sound like she was breathing. He shuddered through his own tears, but fought to lift her head from his shoulder.

"Breathe, Chica."

"I don't need to!" Karina gasped, but she _did_ take great breath of air before pressing in to kiss him.

She was right – breathing seemed like a low priority. _If this was what drowning felt like, more people might end up dying that way. _Holding the woman he loved was better than any feeling he'd had in months, but there was something else needed to complete it.

He opened his eyes to look at Karina, heaving a little breathlessly. "Where's my baby?"

Karina motioned over her shoulder to someone else, and a tear-stained Luke came into view. Raphael saw the doctor's eyes widen with a hint of alarm upon seeing him up close.

"You…you've lost weight," the man said.

"Doc, we're okay," Raphael insisted, and smiled when he saw Olivia in Luke's arms.

The three-year-old didn't need an invitation. She literally catapulted out of the doctor's arms, and Raphael caught her in a tight hug that was nearly crushing. He quickly remembered that she was a little girl and adjusted his pressure.

"My daddy! See, I like you!" Olivia excitedly patted the material of the red-mask bound around her eyes.

"She kept asking for it," Karina said wistfully.

"It looks good on ya, kid!" Raphael cuddled her closer for a few moments before extending an arm to Luke too. "C'mere, Doc. It's good to see you!"

"No kidding," Luke said shakily. "You guys might try leaving a note next time!"

"Before we get kidnapped you mean? We'll try real hard."

The blond man exhaled as the turtle released him. "It's going to take forever to explain all of this, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but we got plenty of time. Go visit the others, Doc."

As Luke moved on, Karina punched the red-masked turtle in the shoulder.

"What _took_ you so long, Tortuga?"

Raphael grimaced. "Kari, I swear, if we coulda been here sooner, we would have!"

The woman buried herself against his plastron again. "I know. But it was _really_ hard to go through."

"I'm sorry," he told her, then kissing Olivia's forehead. "I'm sorry, baby."

The little turtle giggled as she grasped his chin in both hands. "My Daddy!"

"I don't think she's holding a grudge," Karina remarked.

"Are _you_ gonna?"

The Latin woman shook her head. "Being mad at you is impossible right now."

He smirked. "I wonder how long _that'll _last."

Raphael turned his head to view all of the reunions happening around them, and his legs suddenly felt weak. _It might take us an hour to actually get inside the house, but I don't think anyone will care._

An incredibly loud squeal came from their far right, and Raphael couldn't be sure if the sound had come from Michelangelo or the one-year-old he was cradling against his chest. The orange-masked turtle was laughing with all of the sheer joy that Raphael had missed from his voice, practically dancing in a circle with his wife and little boy. The content on Rebecca's face was so obvious that it made the red-masked turtle smile wider.

He felt Karina tug on his arm and allowed the woman to lead him closer to the house. Before they could step foot on the porch, he was stopped by the image of Jenna resting in her mother's grasp without speaking or trying to move. Victoria was smoothing a hand over her dark hair, and saying something so softly that Raphael couldn't make out any of it.

As the warm light coming from the house drove away more of the shadows, Raphael noticed what Karina was _wearing_ for the first time. Her sleeveless yellow dressed hugged her frame perfectly and made him feel breathless all over again.

"What's the occasion?" He fingered the material appreciatively .

"You guys, of course," she said matter-of-factly. "There's a ton of food inside too, if everyone ever gets there."

Even the thought of food wasn't more exciting to Raphael than the woman already in front of him. "Let 'em take their time. I wanna look at _you_ a little longer."

"You'd choose me over food? I'm touched, Raph."

"Chica, there ain't no comparison."


	102. Home Sweet Home

Mike could do little more than shake his head. At their untimely departure, Nathaniel was barely toddling more than a couple of steps at a time. Now the baby was easily making laps in front of the couch, babbling excitedly over the puppy that was incapable of holding still for Jazz. Diamond was only able to rest in the young woman's lap for a couple of seconds at a time before her overflowing energy had her tearing across the couch cushions.

Rebecca giggled. "Nate likes Diamond more than the Border Collies. He's really started interacting with her. I'm still concerned about leaving them alone together, but Diamond's been awful sweet with him so far."

Michelangelo drank in the full sight of his wife, running a hand through her mahogany curls. "The color really held up, Beck. I like it _a lot_."

Becky nodded. "Jazz did a good job. It looks like she'll have to be her _own_ project next. I'm not used to seeing her look so…normal."

"She hates it," he affirmed. "Another gift from the Overlords." The woman's brow creased at the title, and he shook his head again. "Slowly, Becky. The story is going to take a while to come out."

"I don't care how long it takes, not now that you're _here_." Becky wrapped her arms around his neck impulsively, and kissed the turtle so deeply that it left his heart racing.

"Did I mention that I missed you?" he wavered.

"I missed you too. Not knowing what had happened, where you could be…I think Nate is the only reason that I didn't self destruct."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere again, not for a long time." Mike hugged her fiercely, unwilling to let her go until he sensed someone hovering patiently behind him.

The orange-masked turtle turned his head to see April and Marcus, and Rebecca immediately parted from his grasp so that he could greet them. One at a time just wasn't going to do the trick, so Mike threw an arm around both humans. "It's so good to see you guys! It feels great to be home."

April sniffed tearfully. "We couldn't agree more, Mike."

Michelangelo sighed as he stared into the face of their longest-running human friend. The urge to apologize still existed, no matter how many times he'd tried to quench it. "I'm sorry, Ape."

The red-haired woman made a scoffing sound. "If I really thought you had anything to apologize for I'd be _slapping_ you, not hugging you."

Mike grinned as he switched his gaze to Marcus and withdrew his right arm from the man so that he could show it off. "Would you mind feeling this, Marc?"

The dark-haired doctor looked perplexed, but immediately probed the limb with his fingers to oblige the turtle. "What am I looking for?"

"Would you believe that my arm was broken in three places about twelve days ago?"

"What?"

"It's true! Those guys totally fixed it up for me."

"Are you certain that…You _know_ it was broken?"

Mike nodded. "Yep. A 300lb boulder can have that affect."

The orange-masked turtle felt someone flick his shoulder from behind.

"Not _yet_, Mikey!" Donatello hissed urgently.

Marcus crossed his arms with concern. "Mike, I think we should run some tests to be sure."

Luke was quick to insert himself in the conversation. "They _all_ need to undergo testing based on what I've seen."

"Not tonight, Doc," the purple-masked turtle objected. "I don't blame you for wanting to, but I need you to trust me on this. There isn't anything wrong with us; at least not that requires medical intervention."

"Donny, I don't need your scanner to tell me that the seven of you have been through something tremendous. The evidence is right in front of me," Luke argued.

"They just got here!" Shunshi exclaimed, still glued to Donatello's side where he'd been for at least thirty minutes. "You can't take them away yet."

"Doc, I know that we may look a little different, but you don't have to be nervous," Donatello said quietly. "Our diets have sucked over the last three months, and we just survived the biggest battle that any of us have ever been through. That being said, none of us wants to spend our first night at home in the lab. We'd rather relax with you guys and maybe eat some real food."

Karina raised her hand at once. "I'm almost there, you guys; dinner just needs to be brought back up to temperature. We wanted to have something hot for you, and it'll only take a few more minutes."

As the bronze-haired woman ran in the direction of the kitchen, Caleb came up behind Luke and Marcus.

"It _does _seem like thorough physicals could wait," Caleb hedged. "I think Don knows enough about what happened to judge accurately whether they need immediate medical attention."

Michelangelo beamed at the bespectacled man as he stepped forward to greet Caleb. "It's nice to have _one_ of the docs on our side."

"We're _all _on your side, Mike." Caleb shot the other two physicians a look.

"Sure, cave to them," Luke grumbled. "I suppose someone was going to."

Mike embraced the older man. "You're the best, Caleb. Did you manage to get any real work done while we were gone?"

A shadow passed over the man's blue eyes. "My genetic research was at an utter stand-still."

Michelangelo snickered. "That's gonna have to change now that you hooked my brother up with _twins_."

Caleb glanced at Donatello. "That _is _exciting. It's almost enough incentive for me to gang up on you with the other doctors for a chance to look at Jenna!"

"_Tomorrow_," Don said emphatically.

"What's tomorrow?" Hisui asked, sidling up beside the purple-masked turtle and her little brother.

"That's when we're letting the docs go to town with us. But for tonight…" Donatello trailed off when he noticed the mug in the Asian girl's hand. "Is that for me?"

Hisui smiled. "Who else would it be for, Donatello-san?"

"God bless you," he replied reverently, taking the mug from her hand.

Mike couldn't stop grinning, despite how irritated Luke looked.

"If you even knew how worried we've been about all of you…" the blond-haired doctor fumed.

Katherine hooked her arm through Luke's. "Honey, just breathe. They're safe. They're here. Isn't that what really matters?"

Luke glanced at his wife, and Mike saw resignation in the man's eyes.

"Hey, guys?" Greg's voice suddenly cut through the rest of the noise. "Maybe we could let everyone sit down. We don't know what they went through to get back here."

Raphael rolled his eyes as he threw an arm around the sandy-haired man's shoulder. "Truth is that we've _been_ sitting in uh….in…"

Mike understood his older brother's sudden hesitation. The very absurdness of the act that had removed them from their family made it difficult to repeat out loud. The orange-masked turtle noticed that the rest of the room was watching Raphael fumble for words.

"Maybe I shouldn't start this until we've got full stomachs," Raphael finally said. "And Fearless ought to be the one telling it."

The blue-masked turtle snorted. "Thank you for the nomination."

Mike smiled at the way Leonardo hadn't let go of Calley's hand, and the young woman hadn't quit staring at his brother. _They're gonna have to get a room or something_, he thought smugly.

Sayuri came to stand on Greg's other side. "A seat would still be a good idea though. Dinner will not be long, and we would prefer not to be parted from you, if you don't mind eating here."

Mike exchanged a quick look with all of his brothers. "No, we'd probably eat from inside a hole in the backyard if we had to."

The Asian woman smiled. "That is not necessary. Please come and get off your feet."

Michelangelo ambled over to one of the other couches, scooping Nate up in his arms on the way. The little turtle squealed as he swung him around in mid-air.

"A-gin!"

Mike chuckled, making a couple more swinging passes with the baby before taking a seat on the couch. One of the black and white Border Collies nudged his knee almost immediately. "You're too early, Noah. I don't have any food yet," he told the dog. He heard a soft whine, and looked to his left to see the other dog pawing Donny's leg. "Aww…Molly's got her first love back."

"Don't start that, Mike." Donatello's gaze was cross, but then he was all smiles for the Border Collie, fondly petting her head.

"Jazz?" April's voice suddenly rose. "What's that on your hand?"

The young woman shrugged innocently. "Don't you know a ring when you see one?"

"Why is it on _that_ finger?" April pressed.

Jazz and Brandon focused on each other for a moment, seemingly oblivious to the attention they were receiving.

"We're giving in to peer pressure," Jazz answered.

"You're getting married?" Becky was the first to blurt out.

"_Who's _getting married?" Karina called from the kitchen door before Jazz had a chance to respond.

"Me and your brother," she retorted. "It was the only way that I could get him on the ship!"

Caleb's eyebrows rose curiously. "Are you talking about a boat?"

Brandon shook his head. "Uh…no."

Karina swept around the front of the couch, dragging her brother upright by his arm. "I can't believe you didn't say anything! Kat, did _you_ know?"

Katherine shook her head in amusement.

"Kari, we _just _got here!" Brandon reminded her.

Karina pulled Jazz to her feet too and hugged the woman tightly. "Do you guys know when you want to do it?"

"Not really, that is, we hadn't talked about a ceremony." Jazz sounded a little lost.

"Do you want help planning, _hermana_? Because you know we're all here for you," Karina gushed.

Jazz glanced at Brandon uncertainly. "I don't want to make a big fuss."

"Jazz, it's just us," Becky reassured her. "You should have something nice – you deserve it. Both of you do."

Jazz hesitated from answering.

"You don't have to do anything that you don't want to," Calley mentioned.

"No…it's fine if you guys want to help," she replied. "I'm probably not going to be very good at this. But you're not getting me into some long-trained white wedding dress, _that's_ for sure."

"We wouldn't dream of it, Jazz." Becky barely repressed a smile.

Mike's brow creased as he studied his friend. He could tell that something else was going on under the surface with Jazz, but it didn't feel like the time to try dragging anything up. _And I'm probably not the one to talk to her about it either. She seems happy about being with Bran. I wonder what's brought this on._

* * *

><p>At first Mike thought that Karina was an even better cook than he remembered, but the turtle knew better. Anything would taste good to someone who was half-starved, let alone the gifts from his sister-in-law's hands. The rest of their family didn't bother rushing the meal along, satisfied to watch the turtles eat.<p>

By the time they were nearly finished with a second pan of Karina's famous steak chimichangas, the animals had finally calmed down, and the young ones weren't far behind them. Nate was cradled in Rebecca's arms, and his deep breathing was a beautiful sound to Mike. Olivia was curled up against Raphael's leg, and the orange and white striped cat was on his _other_ side. Four-year-old Reina appeared to be nodding off, even as she was sitting in Katherine's lap.

It had been hours since Michelangelo had glanced at a clock, but he wasn't surprised that it was after midnight. Just the same, none of their friends looked like they were planning on going anywhere. He made eye contact with his blue-masked brother, and Leonardo held it for a beat before pushing his tray away.

"All right. I suppose we've kept you in suspense for long enough," Leo said.

Mike waited, but no one else said anything; they simply waited for the oldest turtle to continue.

"You must have surmised that we were taken against our will. The truth is…" Leonardo looked around the room at all of their faces before going on. "The truth is that we were being watched, and we didn't know it. We were 'selected' by…a strange breed of creatures. They took us far away from here."

Greg caught his breath. "_How_ far?"

Leonardo shrugged, gazing at Donatello.

"It was something like ten light years," Donny supplied.

"Aliens," Greg said flatly. "Are you serious?"

"As serious as I've _ever_ been, Heff," Leonardo replied.

The man swore and then covered his mouth. "We circled this theory, how many times, Kat?"

Katherine shuddered. "More than I wanted to. You _actually_ met another intelligent race?"

"More than one," Don clarified. "And it wasn't a pleasant introduction."

"The 'abduction' is hard to remember," Leonardo went on. "There are only fragments, small snippets of memories from being taken, and arriving on Zuhur. As for myself, I can recall being restrained on the ship…but I remember _more_ from a lab. That was where I first realized who else was with me. All seven of us were there at the beginning. They took us away one by one to another part of the room.

"I was one of the last left, right alongside Don. Their 'doctor' had some type of machine that affected our minds, and suppressed our memories. We all went through 'reorientation', as they call it, and then we were separated."

Marc's normally gentle eyes narrowed. "They screwed with your minds?"

"Yeah, big time," Raphael said. "We woke up in different places with no clue who we were, or how we'd gotten there. Nothing but stupid Overlords trying to control everything we did, and keep us in the dark about our past."

"Overlords?" Tim repeated. "Are they the aliens?"

"That's what some of 'em liked to call themselves," Mike muttered, his mind darkening at the memory of Ghaniyah's deception in the Dome.

"They have a couple of names," Leonardo said. "First they were the Annunaki, until they got to be completely full of themselves and changed it to elohim. The 'Overlords' made up the majority of that race, and were bent on advancing their kind over everyone else. They used thousands upon thousands of humans as both personal slaves and test subjects. They were planning on conquering Earth someday too."

"I think my brain just exploded," Greg murmured. "They were planning on invading?"

Raphael smirked. "Told you this wasn't easy to explain."

"That may be, but we need you to break it down some more," Tim insisted.

Leonardo nodded. "We'll do our best, but you have to understand that this is going to take _days_. Too many things happened to get through all of it in one night."

Rebecca's hand grasped Mike's arm as she scooted to the edge of the couch. "I don't care as much about every detail, as long as I know it won't happen again."

Mike bent over to kiss her encouragingly. "It's okay, Beck. In the end, the good guys still knew somebody with bigger fire power."


	103. Desire

It was either very late or very early, depending on someone's point of view. Yet when Leonardo entered the second-floor bedroom that he shared with his wife, he couldn't resist opening the door to step out on the balcony. The warm night air toyed with the tails of his bandana as he leaned against the railing, and he absent-mindedly flicked them back over his shoulder.

Some of the clouds had moved on, and the sight of familiar constellations in the night sky was comforting, even though the normality of being home at Lotus Salvus along with all of the people he loved was mind-boggling. _I think part of me might always question if Zuhur was real, but I have all the proof I need that it was. I hope the Nalikjan will be okay. I really do._

The blue-masked turtle backed away from the railing when he heard someone coming and turned to see Calley. He'd thought about her almost nonstop for over a week, and now that the young woman was standing in front of him, she felt more like a vision than ever. As much as he'd loved the way she'd dressed up for him earlier, there was something more ethereal about seeing her in her light blue satin robe, shaggy bangs covering her left eye as her hair was once more turned silver in the moonlight.

For an instant he was transported, taken back to the first night that they'd met, when he'd been forced to talk Calley off the ledge of a building. She had been a broken shadow of the woman standing in front of him, so that a stranger may not have recognized her as the same person.

"Leo?" Calley's gaze was confused.

The turtle blinked, coming back to reality. "Hey."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Yes and no. This feels like it's been one of the longest days of my life, but seeing you here…I'm not thinking about sleeping."

A half smile emerged on her face. "No? What _are _you thinking about?"

He chuckled. "I don't know how I lasted that long apart from you. I really missed you _koishii_." (beloved)

Calley slipped further out onto the balcony. "I missed you too. _Every _day seemed like the longest one of my life. The not knowing was the hardest part."

Leo sighed regretfully. "You'll never go through anything like that again, not if I have anything to do with it." He wrapped his arms around her waist, exhaling contentedly as she sank against his chest. After a few moments she raised her head to kiss him, but the young woman let go of it sooner than he'd wanted to.

Calley smiled at the surprise in his eyes, backing up into the bedroom. "Just how tired are you?"

He laughed softly to cover up the intensity of the shudder that ran through his legs. He'd gotten more skilled at hiding his reactions to the young woman, but the turtle couldn't deny still feeling like an awkward teenager under her affections sometimes. "Well…I'm not sure if I'm tired at _all_."

"Really? It _is_ awful late." Calley was teasing him, an act that the woman rarely engaged in. It only made him want her more.

Leonardo caught her by the sleeve and pulled her toward him again. Calley reached for his belt, curiously touching the hilt of one of his blades like she'd just noticed them.

"These aren't your katana."

He shook his head. "No. I don't know what happened to mine after we arrived on Zuhur. One of the elohim helped me forge these." Leonardo removed the belt and slowly withdrew one of the blades for her. "It's fashioned from a special alloy that's stronger than steel."

Calley peered at the katana, gasping as he turned the blade to catch the light so that its iridescent quality would be revealed. "It's beautiful, Leo."

He smiled. "_You're_ beautiful – it's only a thing." Leonardo set his belt and weapons aside, and came to find Calley fingering the sash of her robe.

"I got something new too."

His heart rate increased as she took her time untying the sash, and allowed him a small look at the white lace underneath.

Calley took another step backwards, tossing her bangs out of her face. "I don't want to try to tempt you if you're tired."

"You don't _have_ to try."

She shrugged further out of her robe, and he couldn't resist brushing his fingers over her bare ivory shoulders. After casting the garment aside, Calley entwined both arms around his neck. It took Leonardo several seconds to take in the full image of the lace corset that traveled down to meet a satin skirt that barely grazed her hips. By the time he returned to her face, her impish expression made him turn crimson.

"It's nice," he said, with as much control as he could muster.

"I thought you might like it."

Leo nodded resting an arm around her waist again. "No complaints from me."

Calley maddeningly separated from his grasp, taking another step toward their bed. As she balanced on the edge of the mattress, the amount of desire that he saw in _her_ brown eyes was staggering. No matter how much reassurance the blond woman gave him, part of the turtle couldn't fathom that the beautiful creature wanted _him_.

"It's kind of lonely over here," she remarked.

He shook his head. "You've been lonely long enough, haven't you?"

The blue-masked turtle came to her level as she stretched onto her side and settled down beside her. Her arms reached out to him, and the warmth of her hands made his desert-starved skin feel alive again. He gathered her close, relishing her body-heat against his chest.

Calley's hair caressed his cheek as her lips found his again, teasing no more. Neither of them was quick to let go this time, in a passionate outburst that rivaled any that the two had ever experienced. Leo came up for air first, not because he actually needed oxygen, but so the young woman would be able to breathe.

Calley was heaving slightly but her smile was irrepressible. "I feel like I need to get Doc to sign off a permission slip before we go any further. You guys wouldn't even let them _look_ at you."

Leonardo's eye ridges rose. "You want me to run down the hall and get Doc's permission to be with you? Calley, that's not happening."

She laughed lightly. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"At least not as much as cutting you off from _me_ would. I'll barricade the door if I have to."

She blinked at him demurely. "Would you? I like the idea of hoarding you to myself for a couple of days."

"I'm half-tempted."

Her fingers alighting on his jaw-line like tiny feathers and her particular jasmine scent consumed him to the point of feeling a little dizzy.

Calley seemed to think that something was _wrong_ and immediately sat up. "Are you all right?"

"I would be if you'd stop backing away from me."

Her laugh was delicate; much sweeter than the look she was giving him in return. As she snuggled down at his side, she pointed at the lamp on the table to his left. "Would you get the light, Leo?"

Leonardo withdrew one arm from her, feeling blindly over his shoulder for the lamp so that he nearly knocked it over.

Calley giggled. "You're eager tonight, _kakkoii_."

"You have no idea."

* * *

><p>Donatello intentionally avoided the doctors the next afternoon, to be certain that he and Jenna would be the last ones to undergo examinations. He wanted them to be in a more relaxed state when he explained to them what <em>he'd <em>been through on their trip to Zuhur.

But all of that was waiting for a few more minutes yet, because he was enjoying watching the fetal monitor too much. Donatello was seated at Jenna's side, and the raven-haired woman was beaming.

"Four more months, Donny. Do you believe it?" Her voice was tinged with awe.

He took a deep breath. "It's sort of hard to, but I can force myself to get used to the idea," he finished ironically.

The young woman stared at the screen of the monitor for several seconds before looking back at him. "You were _made_ for this, Donny. You're going to be a great dad. I'm the one who had all the hurdles to overcome in order to get pregnant."

"At some point, you'll have to stop acting like it was your fault," Donny chided, rising from his chair to take her hand in his.

Her light blue eyes faltered. "I know that. Deep down, I _know_ the abuse wasn't my fault…and I'll keep reminding myself of that until my head finally gets it."

"Does it help if I remind you too?"

She nodded, squeezing his hand in return. "You make me feel more whole than anyone I've ever known."

Donatello smiled. "That goes _both _ways." He gave Caleb a grin too. "How does it feel to be roaring success?"

The bespectacled man shook his head. "I may have helped _induce _her condition, Don, but the stability of her pregnancy has nothing to do with me. I don't know what that alien did to her, but her body appears to have accepted the twins as her own much more readily than Karina's or Rebecca's did. We're still going to keep a very close eye on her, but the only way I would be more encouraged by what I've seen is if I knew _how_ he did it."

"I wish I could tell you, Caleb. Their technology and understanding of DNA is a lot more advanced than ours," Donny said.

"Which is both exciting and frightening," Luke inserted. "All right, Donny. You've put us off for long enough, and I'm guessing there's a good reason for it. Is there anything that you need to tell us before we start an exam?"

The purple-masked turtle swallowed. "Yeah, there is…but it would be easier to _show_ you. I need for Marcus to take a scan of my right knee."

The dark-haired doctor's head jerked toward him in a flash. "Your knee? Why? What am I looking for?"

Don couldn't help feeling bad for the revelation that he was about to drop on the man. "Just bring the machine here, would you?"

As Marcus hurried over with the medical scanner of Donatello's design, the blond doctor crossed his arms.

"Donny," Luke said warningly. "What's happened with your knee?"

"It's complicated, Doc."

"It always IS with you!"

Donatello wasn't hurt by the force of anger in Luke's voice; he knew that the man was only concerned. "I told you last night that the Overlords forced me into a fighting ring, and that I managed to do well there. They don't see a lot of ninjutsu action on Zuhur."

"Point please," Luke requested testily.

Donny watched Marcus run the scanner back over to one of the larger monitors on the desk to begin deciphering results of the image. "There was a particular Match that I didn't win, because I forfeited. The Overlords wanted me to kill someone, and I wouldn't do it. Yasir talked their leader out of having me executed, but I still had to be punished. I had to endure a battle at the hands of an elohim this time, and they made sure that I wouldn't be able to fight back. The guy destroyed my knee on purpose, Doc, and helped me break through the memory barrier at the same time."

"What do you mean he destroyed it?" Luke demanded. "You've been walking all over the place! I haven't even seen you limp."

"I know, Doc," he said quietly. "That's _why_ I need you to see this for yourselves."

Don looked past Luke to where Marcus was standing at the computer screen in disbelief.

"This isn't possible," Marcus murmured. "It's not."

"What do you see, Marc?" Luke rushed over to join him.

"How can there be new ligaments, Donny?" Marc's voice soared. "Where is the scar tissue? Where is the _graft_?"

Donatello bit his lip as the two men descended on him. "I wasn't awake for that part. Yasir said he repaired it."

"H-he repaired…" Marcus stumbled over his words. "Your knee looks better than I've ever seen it!"

"It _is_ better," he replied carefully. "Yasir not only cultured new ligaments, he fused them with an alloy that's stronger than any material on Earth."

Marcus leaned against the side of the table unsteadily. "If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it."

"Marc, hey. Look at me." Donny was pained by the mixed emotions in the man's eyes. "You're a brilliant orthopedic surgeon. You got me through some of the worst physical trials of my entire life. I wouldn't have had the use of my knee at _all_ if it wasn't for you. I'm sorry that this alien messed with your work, but it doesn't change the fact that you rescued me long before Yasir came into the picture."

The doctor sighed. "I think it's mostly pride, Donny. The technique I used for re-threading the ligaments didn't _exist_ before I used it on you. It's daunting to see how much better someone else could take care of it."

Donatello caught the man by the wrist. "Your technology is cutting edge for Earth, Marc. You can't feel intimidated because the elohim are light years ahead of us. It doesn't take anything away from you."

"I should just be glad that you're healthy and home…and I am."

The purple-masked turtle embraced Marcus fondly. "You're still my top choice for orthopedic needs."

Luke cleared his throat in the background. "We're going through with the entire exam, Donny."

Don chuckled. "Of course you are, Doc. The sooner you go over me, the sooner I get my permission slip."

"Where was _that_ attitude last night?"

Donny grinned at Luke. "It's nice to be home, Doc."


	104. Blessed

Even as Rebecca was feeding Nathaniel small bites from his spoon, her gaze kept drifting back over her shoulder to watch Michelangelo at the stove. The orange-masked turtle was "hard" at work, handling two skillets at the same time like nothing unusual had happened.

_There shouldn't be anything strange about it, but there is, _she told herself. _Days ago we were questioning if they were even alive, and in the blink of an eyes, they've been given back to us._

"Mommy?" Nate's little voice called for her attention. "Mommy, mine? Mine?"

Becky giggled as she gave the one-year-old an apologetic look. "Sorry, baby. Mommy's distracted." She resumed feeding Nate the blueberries and cream oatmeal that he seemed to love more than any other food. Although she found her own blue-green irises staring back at her, the turtle's excited expression reminded her much more of her husband.

It suddenly occurred to her how quiet Mike had been up to that point, doing little more than humming softly while he cooked. "Are you okay, Mikey?"

"Yup," he returned swiftly. "Just getting back into the swing of things. I hope I made enough sausage. What do _you_ think, Beck?"

The curly-haired woman glanced at the stove with a smile. "If three pounds isn't enough, I don't know what to tell you, Mike. How much sausage can you _fit _on a pizza?"

Michelangelo smirked. "It depends on how big the pizza is."

"May I remind you of how impatient your _brothers _are? The pizzas need to be ready in less than an hour."

"Oh, I got this under control, Becky. It's gonna be the best sausage, bacon, and ham pizza the guys have ever eaten."

"Are you sure that you won't each need your own?" she teased.

Mike snorted. "We probably could. I'm making at least three of this variety for all of the guys, and any girl who wants to dive in. Then I can get on the veggies that Karina and company want." The turtle made a mock gagging motion. Mike was willing to eat his fair share of vegetables, but when it came to pizza, they were specifically off limits.

"Let me finish feeding Nate, and I'll get some things chopped up for you," Becky offered. "Did Karina tell you she bought some more Serrano ham? She might like that on a pizza too."

"Yeah, with _arugula_," he replied. "She already put in that special request. After the meal she made for us last night, I'm not gonna refuse to do anything, but I don't get eating a salad on top of your pizza. I'm not even supposed to cook the leaves. The arugula goes on after it comes out the oven like some kind of garnish or something. That's getting too gourmet for my taste, but if it makes them happy, I'll do it."

Rebecca was grateful to be scraping the bottom of Nate's bowl, and gave the little turtle the last couple of bites a bit faster. She took the bowl to the sink to rinse it out, and picked out a box of Cheerios to occupy the baby for a while longer. Nate pounded his fists on the tray when he saw the bright yellow box, and squealed as Becky poured out a few pieces of cereal for him.

With Nate satisfied in his high chair, she crossed over to the stove and stirred the red sauce that Mike had going on the back burner. "That smells _so_ good."

Mike nodded. "I roasted the garlic for a little something extra in there. Shell, I missed this, Beck. I missed _you_." The turtle immediately pulled her close for a kiss, but she withdrew after a few moments, shaking a finger at him.

"Pizzas, Mikey. We have to get these into the oven so that they have time to cook! How many are you working on total?"

"Seven, but they won't take that long to bake, and I can do three at a time with the oven configuration."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Oh…you know the kinds of veggies the girls like. Just do an all vegetarian pizza, and we'll have Karina's wacky Serrano/arugula thing, then one with only cheese and a pepperoni. That'll be more basic for the kids."

Becky shook her head. "It's almost weird to have this many people to feed again, but I'm not complaining."

The turtle grinned and whipped a hand towel her direction. "I _hope_ you're not, Beck."

The young woman went to the fridge to gather some ingredients and came back to find that Mike had already retrieved a knife for her. Becky sat down in a chair, relishing in the familiar activity of keeping the orange-masked turtle company while he cooked. Mike didn't _need _her help, but just the same, he'd never turned her away.

_How many times did we take it for granted? It shouldn't be that easy to do, but for some reason our minds tend to revert to that state. God, don't let me forget how lucky I am. _Becky breathed deeply to contain threatening emotion, and kept her head down so that Mike wouldn't see it. The entire household had shed enough tears the day before to sink a battleship, and she didn't _want _to cry today.

Rebecca focused on dicing up the onion finely. Donatello loved the _taste _of onions, but he wasn't fond of the texture. Cutting it up so that it was barely detectable was the key.

"Beck?"

She jolted in her chair when she realized that Mike was right behind her. Then she noticed that she'd completely obliterated the onion in the effort to distract herself.

"You all right?" the turtle asked.

Rebecca tried to nod normally, but the knife shook in her hand.

"You sure? Those don't look like onion tears to me."

_How does he see _everything_? _

Becky wheeled around to face him with a forced smile. "Everything's fine."

"It's fine, huh?" Mike was unconvinced.

She hesitated. "It's just…we didn't know if you were coming back, and every week that passed when we didn't hear anything or find any clues…I came really close to accepting the fact that you could be dead, or that I'd never see you again. I didn't want to grieve without knowing something for certain, but my mind traveled that direction anyway. "

Rebecca sniffed as she fought to get ahold of herself. "To have you here now, cooking in this kitchen like nothing ever happened…it's kind of like you're back from the dead. You're going to have to put up with me being emotional for a while, Mikey."

Michelangelo wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind. "I don't have to 'put up' with anything, Beck. I love you."

She leaned back against the turtle for a few seconds and started wiping tears away. "I love you too…but the natives are going to get restless."

Mike chuckled. "They always do. We're only a few steps away from getting these pizzas in the oven. Let's work together and make it happen."

* * *

><p>Rebecca wasn't shocked by the willing hands that were waiting to help her carry Mike's perfectly baked pies to the card tables set up in the Great Room. The huge space was already in a state of controlled chaos between the hungry turtles, playing children, and roaming canines scrounging for food from whomever had any. In the background the TV was loudly blaring previews for movies.<p>

Becky smiled at the purple-masked turtle as he dropped part of a bag of ice into a bucket for easier serving. "Did you guys pick a movie yet?"

Donatello grunted something indiscernible under his breath, glancing in Leonardo's direction. "We have the unfortunate privilege of it being _Leo's _turn to pick. After an hour of searching, he's narrowed down the list to seven possibilities. Some things are never going to change."

"I'm working on it, Don!" the blue-masked turtle protested.

"Would you at least mute the TV?" Donny requested. "I'm really sick of hearing the same commercial for the Land of Blood and Honey.

The young woman spied the remote on the back of the couch, and scooped it up to turn down the sound. "Are you still getting over caffeine withdrawal?"

Donny grumbled something else, and then gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Between the crazy journey home, barely getting any sleep, and feeling hungry enough to eat a cow, I suppose I'm irritable."

"You're in luck, Donny, because I think Mikey put an entire _pig _on your pizzas. Don't hesitate to go ahead and get some."

"I think I'll grab Jen's plate first; she's got _three_ mouths to think about."

Rebecca shooed him on. "Then get movin', Donny; you don't have to wait on everyone else."

Don grinned at her and loaded up a couple pieces of the vegetarian pizza for Jenna, then considered something to drink. "Jen, you're avoiding caffeine, aren't you?"

"Give her the iced tea," Becky said knowingly. "We bought decaffeinated bags on purpose yesterday. Along with everything else in the grocery store."

"And we're most appreciative," Donny told her, reaching for the jug of iced tea.

While he took the food and drink over to the raven-haired woman, Becky got another plate ready for the turtle before the others could descend on the pizzas. She followed Donny over to the end of the couch where Jenna was already relaxing, and motioned for him to sit down too.

"Do you have a drink?" Becky asked.

Don nodded. "Thanks."

Mike came out of the kitchen with a 2-liter of Mountain Dew in one hand and Nate in his other arm.

"I hope you don't think you're drinking that stuff!" Raphael pointed at the soda. "You've already got enough energy to run a car battery."

"Hey, I've been a deprived turtle," Mike replied innocently. "I can have whatever I feel like. Do we have a movie?"

"Ask Leo," Donny announced crossly.

The orange-masked turtle groaned. "Who gave _him_ the turn?"

"Fine! I'm just going to close my eyes and pick one," Leonardo threatened.

"Spoken like a true fearless leader." Raphael shook his head and snapped the list out of his older brother's hand. "Pirates of the Caribbean it is," he announced.

"Which one?" Karina asked. "I still haven't seen the third movie."

"No way," Raphael told her. "You don't want to see that unless you like having all your hopes crushed to dust. The newest one is great."

"But it doesn't even have Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightly in it," Karina argued.

"You're gonna have to let _that_ dream die, Chica, because the stupid writers ruined it for those two. All you need is Johnny Depp anyway. He's the funny one."

Karina shrugged, but her eyes lit up when she noticed her "special order" pizza had come out. "Thanks, Mikey! It looks really good."

"Yeah, I'm sure it will be." Mike made a face behind his hand that only Rebecca could see.

Brandon and Jazz ambled into the Great Room from the hallway.

"I thought I smelled food," Brandon said.

"You've got great timing," Mike said. "C'mon and get something to eat."

Jazz's gaze fell on Karina's pizza. "Are you joking with the roughage? What are you, part rabbit?"

"It's good!" Karina defended her opinion with a healthy bite. "Arugula is also called 'rocket lettuce.' It's got a bit of a kick to it"

"I don't need a kick," Jazz replied. "Just give me something with meat."

"You can say that again," Brandon agreed.

"We've got something for everybody," Mike assured them. "Come and get it while it's hot."

The orange-masked turtle stood back with Nate against the wall rather than joining the others right away.

"Do you want me to take him so that you can eat?" Becky asked.

Rather than answering, he held out a hand to her. Rebecca took it, allowing the turtle to draw her to his side.

"I've been dreaming about food for weeks, Becky. But as great as it is, nothing beats how it feels to have everybody together. I'm just happy to be standing here with you."

She laughed. "Does that mean you aren't going to eat?"

"Oh, shell no, Beck; I'm gonna get my share. But I'm okay with not being first in line. There's other stuff that matters way more."

She gripped his hand tighter. "I don't think you could have said that better."


	105. Comforter

Raphael carefully placed the three-year-old turtle back in her bed, drawing a blanket over her with the utmost of care. Luke had told him that it wasn't unusual for Olivia to experience night terrors while they'd been gone, and the red-masked turtle was grateful to be around to chase them away now.

Olivia had slept between him and Karina for the first couple of nights since they'd been home, but it had been necessary to return the toddler to her regular routine and the room that she shared with her cousin.

He hesitated for a few moments beside her, making certain that Olivia was settled. When he was sure that she was asleep he brushed her cheek lightly with one finger and wished her a good night. Raphael silently stole out into the dark hall, and clicked the door shut behind him.

The red-masked turtle glanced down the hallway toward his room. Karina had been sound asleep when he'd woken to Olivia tugging on his arm. As he was about to return to bed, a sudden craving struck his stomach, and he obeyed the order to go the opposite direction. _Nothing wrong with going to bed on a full stomach_, he reasoned to himself.

Raphael went to the fridge to investigate the left over pizza, but then decided on something simpler and selected the milk instead. The turtle considered several boxes of cereal before selecting two varieties to mix together. He was in the middle of gathering a bowl and spoon when he heard the sound of a muffled _thud_.

He immediately left the kitchen to investigate, instinctively on high alert. Raphael saw a shadow cutting a path toward the front door and rapidly followed the figure.

"Hey, what are you _doing_?" The question came out more harshly than he'd really intended.

The runner's only response was to stumble over a side table in startled haste, and then scramble backwards over the floor into the corner. Raphael felt across the wall for a light switch, flooding brightness into the Great Room. His heart sank when he saw Brandon breathing hard on the floor and dripping with sweat.

"Bran, I'm sorry," he said at once. "I didn't mean t' scare you." The red-masked turtle slowly moved his direction, unsure of whether the man was aware of him. He knew from experience with the man's condition that it wasn't always smart to touch Brandon immediately, so he waited for some kind of acknowledgement on his part. "Are you okay, Man?"

Golden brown eyes rose to meet him finally, and the man eased off the floor. "Yeah," he said quietly, embarrassed.

"I didn't mean to freak you out." Raphael felt like he needed to say it again. "I just heard something from the kitchen, and I guess I'm still on edge. Do you wanna sit down, Bran?"

The man eyed a couch with a weary glance and shuffled over to it. "It wasn't your fault. I was _already_ freaked out."

Raphael nodded somberly. "Did you have a dream?"

Brandon hesitated for a couple of seconds, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. "Yeah."

"Was it Akiudo?" Raphael grimaced as he asked the question, but given their latest experience on Zuhur, he felt like he had to clarify the matter.

Brandon nodded without making eye contact that time.

Raphael sat down on the edge of the couch. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No."

The red-masked turtle sighed inwardly. After the man's ordeal at the hands of the gang, he'd been shut up tighter than a steel trap and refused to speak of anything that had happened for several weeks. Raphael shook his head to banish the memory of the depressed, withdrawn version of his friend.

_But Bran has been getting better over the last year. He started coming around with us, and Jazz helped him a lot too. She ended up being exactly what Brandon needed._

"Okay, we don't gotta talk, Bran," Raphael said to fill up the empty space. "But what _do _you wanna do?"

The man rested against the back of the couch, swiping perspiration from his forehead. "I don't know. I don't think that there's anything I _can_ do. Apparently I'm going to be stuck like this, no telling when some small memory or experience is going to trigger my cowardly side."

"Brandon, you ain't no coward," Raphael insisted. "You can't help the way this stuff affects you! It's not your fault."

The man exhaled heavily. "So I've heard."

The turtle changed positions awkwardly. "You sure there's nothing you wanna talk about?"

Brandon looked at the floor. "I'm not sure what to think about Jazz. I keep getting the feeling that something's wrong, no matter how much she's assured me that she wants to get married."

"Then you already tried talking to her?" Raphael was perfectly willing to let the man change the subject.

He shrugged. "A couple of times. She says she enjoyed the outings with the other girls to pick some things out for the ceremony, but she's not…Jazz isn't excited like I thought she'd be. Maybe I read this whole situation wrong and it's too soon. I'm the jerk who went and forced her to give me an answer on the spot in front of everyone."

"Bran, if she's dealing with a problem, I doubt it's got anything to do with you. There are a lot of things that could be bugging her. She could be still getting over what we went through on Zuhur. She was pretty traumatized by that gun battle with the Akiudo, and the fight with the Overlords was a _lot_ bigger."

Brandon winced. "And I wasn't there to protect her."

"You couldn't be everywhere at once!" he argued. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Man. Everybody on our side came out okay, including Jazz. Give her a couple more days to talk to ya, but I don't think you should question if she wants to marry you. I've seen the way she looks at you, Bran. The girl is in love, no doubt."

"Do you think I should keep trying to get her to talk about it? We could always push the ceremony back too. I mean, it's just us. We don't have 300 invitations in the mail."

"I wouldn't change it, Bran; not without a good reason. The girls are all bonding over this, and Jazz looks like she's onboard, even if she was a little hesitant at first."

Brandon nodded. "She says she's happy, but I can't help feeling like she's upset about something. Do you think this could be about her family?"

"Maybe, Bran. You know how hard it is when someone leaves you behind."

The man sighed. "I can't _force_ her to talk about her parents though, and I don't want to keep suggesting that something is wrong when she's telling me the opposite."

"All you can do is wait on her, Bran. You came around to _us_ eventually. If Jazz needs to talk about something, I bet she'll open up too. She doesn't usually have a problem speaking her mind." Raphael snickered under his breath.

Brandon snorted and sounded more like himself. "You would know, huh?"

The turtle smirked. "Yup. I knew she was gonna be trouble, right from the start."

"Out of curiosity, what do _you_ think is a logical reaction to being exposed to one of you for the first time?" Brandon challenged. "Because screaming doesn't sound unreasonable to me."

"Oh sure, Bran, you _gotta_ take her side," Raphael teased.

His friend smiled, but the expression was short-lived. "You really don't believe I'm rushing things with Jazz."

"Bran, you've known the girl for several months. I _don't_ think you two are taking things too fast."

"It isn't just about the length of time, Raph. I have to make sure that _I'm_ in the right frame of mind too."

"You're making this too hard, Brandon. You both love each other, and you're not gonna wake up next month and feel differently. So _what_ if you have issues with trauma? Jazz ain't perfect either, and you know what? She never will be. That's not what a marriage is about."

"No. I guess no one is perfect."

"Nope. There's no such thing." Raphael caught Brandon looking toward the stairs. "Do you wanna try and get some sleep, or would you rather do cereal with me first?"

"Cereal, for sure. What else is there to do when you wake up this time of night?"

Raphael grinned. "You could play twenty questions with your brother-in-law."

Brandon rolled his eyes. "You're the one who wanted me talking."

* * *

><p>Greg's big mouth was the sound that drew Raphael awake in the morning with a groan. He was surprised to find Karina already missing, until he realized it was almost 11am. <em>I'm gonna have to get back on a regular schedule myself before Fearless starts riding my shell.<em>

Raphael rolled over to get out of bed and went down the hall toward the Great Room.

"No, the truth is out of the question," Greg was saying. "We'll help you come up with something, Jazz. You can't go into that hearing only armed with the story of an alien abduction!"

The young woman crossed her arms in frustration. "I'm not an idiot, Greg. What am I supposed to say though? Sure they won't buy the alien thing, but I haven't done anything wrong. It's not like I chose to miss the stupid meeting. I was kidnapped!"

"Jazz, in all seriousness, we've got friends in high places," Greg reassured her. "Between my boss, Jenna's mom…if we can't come up with a good excuse, no one can. We'll think of something."

_Right…Jazz missed her follow-up parole hearing because of this insanity with the Overlords, _Raphael reminded himself. _They'd better make sure she doesn't get into any trouble. Maybe _that's_ what's bugging her._

Jazz sighed noisily. "I don't want to go back to jail or be forced to live under some stronger style of parole with a ball and chain. There has to be something they can do!"

"You're _not_ going back to jail, Jazz," Brandon said stubbornly. "The big guns are going to come out. Let them get to work on your case before you start getting upset."

"For what it's worth, you can keep hiding with _us _for as long as you need to," Raphael suggested.

Jazz glanced over her shoulder at the turtle, looking much more like her normal self. Her blond base hair color had returned in full force, and was streaked with the bright red and black highlights that she took such pride in. "Are you going to harbor me for the rest of my life, Raph?"

"No, because we're _going_ to come up with something," Greg repeated. "The new hearing isn't for a few more days. We've got this. Just trust us, okay? Finish planning your wedding."

Jazz exchanged a look with Brandon. "There's not much to plan. I picked out the stuff that I liked, and the girls are pulling it all together."

The red-masked turtle chuckled. "_I_ heard you even bought a dress."

"I've worn dresses before, turtle," she shot back.

"How long ago _was_ that?" Brandon asked.

The young woman actually had to think about it. "High School graduation? All the senior girls had to wear the same stuff. It was awful."

"Sounds like pure torture," Brandon said dryly.

"Maybe it isn't for some mindless herd of sheep who likes to follow what everyone else does."

"You're so dramatic," Raphael told her.

"I've earned that right," Jazz retorted.

"Coming from this group, I'd have to agree," Karina offered, coming down the hall with a towel-wrapped Olivia. She set the squirming toddler down, and the towel flared around her shoulders like a cape as she raced over to Raphael.

"Daddy!"

The turtle picked her up, balancing his daughter against his side. "You smell nice and clean, Liv. Try and stay that way for a couple of hours so your mama doesn't kill ya."

"She's been talking up a storm this morning," Karina said. "Liv told me that she woke you up last night."

Raphael nodded. "Yeah, a bad dream or something. I got her settled down and put her back to bed." He met Brandon's gaze, but didn't say anything about their own meeting. "She was a big girl and went back to sleep," he finished.

"She probably just needed to make sure that you were still there," Karina said wistfully. "Olivia missed you, Raph."

"I missed her too. Holing up in that godforsaken wilderness when all we wanted to do was get home to you guys was hard, but we didn't have a choice. Those Overlords had Earth in their cross-hairs, and we _had _to do something."

Karina shivered. "I don't even want to think about it."

"You don't have to, 'cause it ain't gonna happen. Somebody else already made sure of that." Confusion and awe mingled in his mind as he pictured the firestorm again.

"It figures," Jazz muttered.

Greg cocked his head. "What figures?"

Jazz scowled. "It seems like all this family does is go around fixing stuff for other people, but there's never anything to show for it. No one on Earth will ever know about the sacrifice you were willing to make."

Raphael shrugged. "That ain't why we do it, Jazz."

"I get it," she replied. "The point is that you're the biggest heroes this world has, and they're never going to see it."

Raphael couldn't resist laughing. "Judging by how _you_ took to us, that's probably for the best, Jazz."


	106. Work & Play

Donatello was thoroughly in his element at the desk, alternating between three different tabs on the internet with fresh coffee at his side. He scanned a medical article with interest, if not complete comprehension. He'd learned more than his fair share of genetics from Caleb when they'd been facing Mike's illness. It had become an issue of not only saving his younger brother, but defeating the cellular defect that also posed a threat to the rest of the turtles.

The information he was perusing was obviously theoretical, made up of heavy language that caused Donny to break down each individual sentence as if it were an equation. _You don't become a genetic expert overnight. I bet Caleb could explain these ideas in a more sensible fashion. I think some people like to challenge themselves to write the most difficult terminology that they can come up with, just so they can sound smarter._

Their medical team's study of genetics was nothing new, and it hadn't even started with Michelangelo. Donatello had been expanding his understanding of their DNA ever since Karina had gotten pregnant with Olivia, but he had to admit that his recent experiences with Yasir's incredible advances had lit a new fire under him too. _I know that it isn't possible to acquire that kind of information in a lifetime, but the more we can learn, the better chance our kids have of—_

The balled-up piece of paper that struck the back of his head was enough to interrupt the thought, but not to completely distract him from the screen. _Our ability to culture new cells alone has improved a lot since we first started on Mike with Caleb at the helm, even if there's a lot of room for growth. The iPs cells still don't possess the same properties as the embryonic variety—_

The purple-masked turtle flinched as two more paper-balls struck his shell, but he didn't say anything about them. He leaned closer to the screen to squint at a phrase he'd already read a couple of times. _'The dogma of traditional mendelian inheritance has been challenged by the discovery of new patterns of gene segregation and expression. Unstable DNA segments varying in size have been associated with both fragile X-syndrome and myotonic dystrophy—'_

Yet another paper ball hit him in the back of the head, and Donny looked over his shoulder with a sigh. "Is this going to become a regular thing with you?"

The raven-haired woman scowled at him. "Get off. The Computer. I know that you were on that thing the whole time we were in town."

"Jen, we were gone three _months_. I have to get back to work at some point."

Jenna shook her head. "I don't care how long it's been, Donny. Get your shell out of that chair."

He glanced at the clock to see what time it was. "Why don't you give me ten more minutes—"

"No!" she insisted. "I swear I'll tell Luke to turn off the breakers for the third floor. You need to come rejoin civilization."

"All right, all right," he muttered. "Let me save what I was working on." The moment he looked back at the computer an entire handful of paper balls flew his direction. "I'm getting off!" Donny cried, whipping around in his chair. He caught the 20th paper wad she'd flicked and tossed it back at her.

Jenna laughed as she flung three more of her remaining missiles toward him. Donatello leaped to his feet and left the chair spinning as he hurriedly gathered paper balls off the floor. He stalked threateningly toward his pregnant wife, trying hard to keep a straight face.

"You can't attack me! I'm carrying your babies."

"You knew exactly what you were getting into."

The young woman stood defensively like she was preparing to dodge him, but then opened her arms instead. "C'mon, ceasefire. I just wanted some attention. Is that too much to ask from my genius husband who works so hard?"

He smiled guiltily. "No, it's not too much to ask. I wasn't trying to be distracted, Jen."

"Then you understand that the tactic of my war was only to draw you closer to me."

"Mmhm…that makes sense. But I thought you wanted me to rejoin civilization."

"They'll still be downstairs in a few minutes."

Donatello nodded, resting an arm around her waist. "I bet they will be, but what do you want to do with me in the meantime?"

Jenna tossed black hair over her shoulders with a flip of her head. "I could think of something."

He was relaxed when she wrapped her hands around his neck, but gasped out loud when her fingers played across a known sensitive spot. "No! You called a ceasefire!"

She chuckled. "I can agree to those terms under one condition."

He jerked as her stroked the back of his neck again. "I already got off the computer!"

"There's a price to pay for ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you _now_!"

Jenna tilted her head and kissed him. "Okay. I'll be nice, but you have to agree who's in charge."

"I didn't realize that was in question." His breath hitched as she brushed the spot one more time, and he tried to keep from laughing. "That's not _fair_, Jen."

"Who said that I had to play fair?"

"You're in charge," he said at once.

The young woman rested both hands on his shoulders. "You're so easy."

"Easy for _you_," he emphasized. "You could beat me faster than any of those people I faced in the ring."

Jenna's smile was so beautiful that it almost took his breath away. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Donny." She exhaled as she leaned against his shoulder, and he nuzzled her lightly with his forehead.

"This is more like it," he mumbled.

She raised her head suddenly. "I want to show you something."

He let go of her so that she could retrieve a thin album that was sitting beside the open notebook from which she'd been tearing sheets of lined paper to hurl at him. "What is it, Jen?"

"My mom found an old memory card while we were gone. Look what she printed out for us."

Donatello dropped into one of two adjacent arm chairs and peered at the book curiously as she opened the cover. One glance of a seventeen-year-old Jenna in a _very_ familiar silver halter top was enough to make him gasp. He remembered the outfit fondly from their first "date" at Luke's brownstone in Chelsea. "Are all of the photos from that night?"

"Yup. You were all anxious about me taking them, remember?"

"Well, yeah. Photographic evidence of a creature that isn't supposed to exist…and then you _did_ go and lose the card."

"It wasn't _really_ lost. I just hid it so well that I couldn't find it."

"But of course your _mom_ could." Donatello blushed at the thought of Victoria putting the book together, but he and Jenna hadn't been doing anything that serious. He was too busy staring at the first picture to notice that Jenna was gazing at _him_.

"It doesn't bother you that she saw them, does it? There were only a couple where we were kissing."

Don groaned at the memory of how many takes he'd been forced to awkwardly sit through until Jenna had found a couple of pictures of the two of them that she could be happy with. It wasn't that he minded kissing her, but the very appearance of the camera had put him _almost_ as off kilter as when she'd changed her clothes.

"No, its fine," he assured her. "We weren't doing much for your mom to see." Donatello pointed to the first photo of her. "You must have taken this one yourself, because I don't remember it."

"I had to make sure that I looked okay before you came downstairs."

Donny looked at her like she'd just told him that the Earth was flat. "Did you not have a mirror to see yourself, or are you just crazy?"

Jenna shrugged, tucking black hair behind her ear. "How was I supposed to know your type? You told me that you'd never had feelings for a human before. There was no telling what you'd find attractive."

Donatello hardly resisted the urge to laugh. "You could have worn a paper bag and I would have been attracted to you."

Jenna smiled. "That's silly. I had a little more money to deal with than _that_." She motioned to another picture. "You look so young."

Donatello shook his head at her reference to his sixteen-year-old self. "If I'd known then what I know now…I could have helped that guy out a little bit." He looked at Jenna regretfully. "I never would have given you such a hard time."

She rested a hand on his arm. "You don't have to beat yourself up over that anymore, Donny. You were never _trying_ to hurt me. You thought you were helping."

"I just wish I'd woken up to the truth sooner."

"The important thing is that you _did _wake up," she informed him. "And now we're having twins."

Donatello grinned, placing a hand over her stomach. "Two for the price of one. With the effort that Caleb went to, it kind of feels appropriate." He turned another page and cringed at the gawkiness of his pose in the picture. Looking at Jenna's position in the photograph was such a sharp contrast that it was almost laughable. She seemed to be the very essence of confidence and beauty.

"What on Earth did you see in me?" he asked.

"You were adorable. You still are."

"You're nuts." He kept his tone intentionally light. "You could have had anyone."

"Why would I _want _anyone else? They couldn't have beaten the best. No other boy I've ever met could hold a candle to you, Donny."

"I sure don't make your life easy, Jen."

"Who needs easy?" Jenna glanced down at the page in front of them, pointing to the acoustic guitars at their side. "It's been forever since I played. I'd better remember _how_."

"We didn't forget how to fight, Jen, even though the mind barrier was screwing with our memories. I'm sure that you can pick it back up again. You have to."

She gave him a wry smile. "Who says I have to?"

"I do. I'm addicted to your voice."

"I guess I'll have to do something about that."

"It shouldn't be hard to—"

A knock at the door interrupted the rest of Donatello's sentence, and Michelangelo peeked inside the room.

"Hey. Whatcha doin'?" the orange-masked turtle asked.

"Nothing," Donny said automatically, shutting the album nonchalantly so that Mike wouldn't be interested in seeing it. He could picture the unending teasing if his brothers got a hold of the book.

"You guys need to come downstairs," Mike told them. "We're nailing stuff down for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Don asked. "What's tomorrow?"

Jenna laughed. "I hadn't gotten around to telling him yet, Mike. The girls were talking about how we missed a couple of birthdays while we were gone: mine, yours, Leo's…"

"Okay…"

"So we're having one big event to celebrate all of them at once," Mike said cheerfully. "Doesn't that sound great? I'm organizing the activities."

Donatello moaned. "Who put _you_ in charge of this?"

Mike smirked. "I was the first to speak up. C'mon, Donny, it'll be more fun than hanging out on the computer all day."

"I'm sure it'll be fun, Mikey. I just can't help wondering what you have in store for us."

His younger brother's Cheshire smile wasn't encouraging. "It's not all up to me. Some of it is going to be decided by the fates."

Jenna's forehead creased. "By the fates? What _are_ you plotting, Mike?"

"I told you, it's not up to me. That's why you need to come downstairs. Everyone is putting suggestions into a hat. You need to fill one out too."

"This may be the most frightening concept I've ever heard," Donny complained, but he got to his feet and reached for Jenna's hand. "Whatever it involves, you have to take it easy on Jen."

"You act like I'm an invalid. What do you think they'll do to me, Donny?"

"With the guys in this group, I can only imagine."

Shunshi met them at the bottom of the stairs as they entered the Great Room. "Donny-san, did you hear what we are doing?"

Don smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. "I've heard a little. Did you put a suggestion in yet?"

Shunshi nodded. "Mikey-san said that we would try to do _all_ of them!"

The purple-masked turtle exchanged a worried look with his younger brother. "I'm sure we'll do our best, Shunshi-kun."

"Do you want to know what I wrote?" Shun whispered.

Donny glanced left and right to see who was watching. "Only if you're being nice to us."

"_Everyone_ is going to be playing, Donny-san."

"I may as well let it be a surprise then."

As Shunshi darted to the couch, Don grabbed Mike's arm. "Tell me that this won't be humiliating."

"I dunno, Donny. I'm not reading the cards in advance. Everyone's supposed to gather their own props that we might need, and we'll all find out together."

Donatello rolled his eyes. "You're doing this to torture me."

"Nah, I'm doing it for fun. Torture is just a by-product."

Donny searched out his oldest brother and shook his head at Leonardo. "This doesn't concern you?"

"We've had much bigger things to worry about, Don. This doesn't even register on my anxiety meter."

Raphael came up behind Donny with a friendly pat on the shell. "Don't be so worried, Genius. What's the _worst _that could happen?"

The devious look his red-masked brother gave him made Donny swallow. "Whatever you suggested on that card, _you're_ doing it too, Raph. I'll make sure of it!"

Raphael smirked. "It's killing you not to know though, isn't it?"

"Don't forget that turn about is fair play, and _my _revenge isn't instantaneous," Don said warningly.

Raphael's gaze darkened for a moment. "You don't have to remind me.


	107. Sides

***I cannot take full responsibility for the insanity suggested in the following chapter. :) At the time that I wrote it, I was hanging out in a wild and wonderful group called "Underground Fanfiction" on Facebook. It's a very active community full of writers and readers from every genre of fanfiction that you can imagine. **

**For fun one day, I decided to ask for suggestions of activities that people could do as a group. I thought I might get one or two ideas to use from it, but I ended up liking several. Some of them had to be adapted out of necessity (alligator wrestling anyone?), but I managed to work in just about all of them.**

**Enjoy. ;)**

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><p>Jazz had been waiting for Brandon to come downstairs longer than she deemed was necessary. She glanced at the staircase for the third time in the last ten minutes, wondering if he could yet be on his way. The young woman made a split-second decision to head to the second floor and got to her feet. She ran into Calley at the top of the stairs.<p>

The blond woman smiled at her. "Good morning. This promises to be an interesting day."

Jazz snorted. "No doubt."

"Do you feel okay about tomorrow?" Calley's gaze was entirely too perceptive.

"You mean the ceremony?" Jazz shrugged. "I wasn't sure about making a big deal of it, but it'll be fun. It was cool shopping with you girls."

Calley nodded. "We all enjoyed it too. It's nice to have you back with us."

Jazz gave her a lop-sided grin and hugged the woman. "Thanks for all of your help. I'm gonna go see what's holding up my man."

Calley gave her a parting pat. "I'll see you downstairs."

Jazz started out toward Brandon's room, but the door was standing open, and the space was empty. Her forehead creased as she went to check one other place. The bathroom door was closed, so she knocked tentatively.

"Just a sec," Brandon called.

"Bran? Are you okay? Did you fall in or something?"

The door swung inward. "Hey…sorry," he told her. "I guess I lost track of time."

Jazz smiled appreciatively at the muscular definition of his bare chest. "Hey, beauty takes work," she cracked.

He smiled, but the expression felt awkward. "I think I'm going to put something else on."

"Why? You think someone's gonna get jealous of me?"

Brandon chuckled. "No, it's not…" He faltered without finishing, rubbing the back of his head.

Jazz nodded understandingly and reached a hand up to graze his cheek. "Bran, no one cares about your scars."

The old wounds on his chest and back were uncomfortable souvenirs from Brandon's abduction by the Akiudo.

"They matter to _me_," he said stiffly. "I don't know why I feel this way, Jazz, but I don't want to wrestle with it today."

"That's okay," she said quickly. "You can save your hotness for me. I'm cool with that."

Brandon gave her something closer to a real smile. "Sorry I'm so weird."

Jazz glanced at her reflection in the mirror. "Bran, have you looked at me lately?"

He shook his head. "It's a different kind of weird."

"Well, you put up with mine, and I can put up with yours. Do you wanna get out of this bathroom?"

Brandon nodded. "Yeah. If any of the guys catch us in here together, they'll rag us all day."

"Do you want to _give_ them something to rag us about?" she teased.

He fingered one of her red highlights. "Nah. That'll be something to look forward to later."

"Let's pencil that in real quick. Now get a move on, punk."

* * *

><p>Jazz was seriously enjoying the sight of the little girls attacking Greg. When he went to his hands and knees on the grass it looked like he might need some help, but she was having too much fun watching Reina and Olivia climb all over him. Shunshi was encouraging them from the sidelines and the two toddlers were screaming so loudly that Jazz was amazed she could hear Greg over them.<p>

"Ow! Elbows, Liv! I'm not a jungle gym!" The sandy-haired man could have thrown the girls off easily, but he endured their rough play with both protests and laughter of his own.

Jazz felt Brandon's gaze and looked at him in the lawn chair next to her.

"Are you ready to go through with this tomorrow?" he asked casually.

"I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't want to marry you."

"I know, but you've gotten dragged along in this process too. First by the way I asked you, and then the girls wanting us to have a real ceremony. We don't _have_ to be traditional, Jazz."

"I don't mind having a ceremony, Bran. You know I don't like to do things the conventional way, but it'll be nice. Everyone will enjoy it."

He crossed his arms. "I can't help feeling like you're just trying to satisfy other people."

"So what if I am?"

Brandon caught her wrist and then gripped her hand tightly. "I want _you_ to be happy."

"I _am_ happy, Bran."

To her relief his expression relaxed, and some of the tension released from her own muscles. Jazz sipped her iced tea and gazed up at the perfect blue sky overhead. "It's gonna be a scorcher."

The man nodded. "There had better be water involved in some of these games."

Jazz's nose wrinkled. "You don't think it'll be that bad, do you?"

Brandon smiled. "Who can say? We'll just have to wait and see."

She was about to say something else when she heard deliberately noisy footsteps coming through the grass behind them, and glanced over her shoulder at the red-masked turtle.

"What's going on over there?" Raphael motioned at the girls tackling Greg.

"Looks like a dog pile. Do you think Heff needs help?" Brandon wondered.

Raphael snorted. "With my girl in there? Definitely. I'll get on that, but I've got something for you first, Bran."

It was then that Jazz noticed the turtle was concealing something behind his back.

"I've been saving this for you since the day that I married your sister," Raphael continued.

Brandon chuckled. "What are you talking about, Raph? You're not getting _sentimental_ on me, are you?"

The turtle wrapped an arm around the man's neck and smashed a plate in his face instead of answering. Jazz was too surprised to do anything other than watch layer cake explode on her boyfriend. Her grey eyes narrowed as Raphael deposited the rest of the plate on top of his head, and she took the opportunity to fling her iced tea in the turtle's face. Raphael let go of Brandon with a small gasp and took off across the backyard.

Jazz shook her head at the brightly colored frosting Brandon was trying to rub out of his eyes, and quickly employed her fingers to help. "Are you okay, babe?"

Brandon sniffed loudly. "He got it up my nose!"

"Bran, c'mon and get up. You're going to need soap and water to get that stuff off. Do you want to use the hose first so we can keep most of the mess outside?"

"He's going DOWN, Jazz."

The young woman pulled him to his feet. "Do you want to get him back, or do you want to get him _better_?"

"You already have a plan?"

"Are you forgetting that he and Mike challenged me?" Jazz laughed evilly. "You're going to need patience, but the pay off will be worth it."

Brandon swore under his breath. "It had better be."

As she guided him around the side of the house, Jazz couldn't resist asking the question on her mind. "What did Raph mean about saving this from his wedding day?"

He made a scoffing sound. "The night before Raph was getting married, he and Leo came down on Mikey really hard. It was my first exposure to their pranks, and it was also unprovoked. So the next morning, I helped Mike get them back. They took a nice mud bath in a sink hole. It was one of the most epic tricks ever, because they essentially did it to _themselves_."

Jazz smirked. "_Our_ prank is going to be epic, Brandon…and maybe next time, they'll think twice before they make fun of me."

* * *

><p>Jazz couldn't stop laughing. Watching the two turtles wrestling to deflate identical inflatable alligators inside kiddie pools filled with shaving cream had to be her favorite moment of the day thus far. She clapped her hands excitedly as Michelangelo lunged to his feet, bouncing up and down on top of his defeated pool toy.<p>

"Oh, yeah!" he whooped. "Check that out, Raphy!"

The red-masked turtle looked disgusted as he climbed to his feet. "I know you musta cheated somehow, Pipsqueak."

"I don't cheat, Raph; I'm just the best!" Mike grinned as he surveyed the onlookers. "Who wants a hug?" He extended shaving cream covered arms jovially.

"Now would be a good time for the dang water war," Raphael grumbled.

Leo shook his head. "No, Raph, remember? We're saving that for last so _everyone_ can clean up at once. Besides, it looks good on you."

"It'd look good on you too, Leo!" he returned threateningly.

"Jazz, grab a card before we have another wrestling match on our hands!" Don urged.

She smiled fondly at the purple-masked turtle. As nervous as Donny had been the day before, he seemed to be enjoying himself. He'd had a particularly good time winning the final round of musical chairs which had enabled him to stay clean. That was until one of the traditional birthday attacks had commenced afterward, and Don had received a caking on a larger scale than Brandon's.

Jazz selected another slip of paper and rolled her eyes when she read it. "Strip Poker? Who wrote this? Someone needs to 'fess up!" She was greeted by a chorus of snickers, but no volunteers. "Okay, _seriously_ now."

She reached for another card and rested her hand on her hip. "Blind Ninja Tag? You guys aren't being fair! How are we supposed to compete with _ninjas_?"

Raphael laughed. "That doesn't sound like it's our problem."

Mike shook his head. "No, she's right, _Leo_," he said pointedly.

The blue-masked turtle shrugged innocently, flicking left-over frosting off his shoulder. "You can't blame me for trying, can you?"

Jazz groaned. "There's only one other suggestion in here, so this had better be good." But when she read the slip, she was more confused than ever. "Zoo? How in the world do we play that? I think an explanation is needed."

Karina raised her hand. "Um…I'm pretty sure that's the one word that Reina knows how to write. That's probably her way of requesting Madagascar. She's seen so many commercials for it…"

Raphael growled and pretended to cover his ears. "If I have to hear that 'Circus Afro' thing one more time, that stupid zebra is going to _die_."

"That's it then?" Donny asked. "We're down to nothing but—" He cut off with a short gasp as a bucket of water struck him from behind.

Shunshi grinned at the turtle. "You looked hot, Donny-san."

The purple-masked turtle swiped at residual frosting on his forehead. "I'm going to need a better shower than _that_."

"Now you're getting it, Donny!" Mike chortled. "Water war is _on_."

Jazz knew where the balloons had been set up, but she had another goal in mind. As the entire group ran that direction, she shot around the side of the house and flattened against the cabin. Rapidly she turned on the faucet for the hose and waiting. Someone would chase her – it was inevitable – and she didn't mind waiting for them.

Jazz heard the screech of a woman running that way, and held off from immediately unleashing the hose. Rebecca's eyes went wide when she saw her, but the curly-haired woman was unarmed and already partly drenched. The orange-masked turtle running behind her was struggling to hold two giant balloons at once, with another net bag full of "weapons" over his shoulder.

"Behind me, Becky!" Jazz ordered, then loosed the full blast of the hose on Michelangelo.

He fell back a foot from the onslaught, but didn't hesitate from hurling his missiles. The first balloon flew off track and hit the ground, but the second struck her in the shoulder and exploded in a frenzy of cold water.

_Right! Like a garden hose is supposed to stop a ninja! More like I need a _fire_ hose._

Before Mike could get off another shot from his bag balloons, Brandon came darting around the corner of the house. His feet left the ground as he tackled the turtle and dropped a water balloon directly on his head. The two struggled across the grass, with the lanky man managing to get an upper hand.

Brandon laughed over the flattened turtle. "We have a hostage!"

Jazz pointed the hose down. "Oh really? It's us against them, huh? You're on the _wrong_ side, Mikey."

Michelangelo yelped as she sprayed him with the hose again. "_Help_!"

Leonardo was the first to respond to the hail, but he maintained a small distance when he saw Mike's precarious position underneath Brandon. "Would you guys be willing to make a trade?"

Becky crossed her arms. "Name the terms!"

Before Leo could answer, Raphael came running by with a laughing Shunshi draped over his shoulder, and kept going.

The blue-masked turtle shook his head. "I guess the captive doesn't _want_ to be free."

Mike squirmed, but the man wasn't budging.

"You're gonna have to catch someone else, Leo," Jazz informed him.

"I'll come back with more ammo!"

"Bring it on, turtle!" Brandon retorted and grinned down at Mike. "I hope you're comfortable down there."

"Help me!" Mike cried after Leonardo.

"What are we going to do about weapons?" Rebecca asked nervously. "You have the hose, but we're still stuck on a leash!"

"Are we?" Jazz winked, withdrawing a package of balloons from pocket. "Start filling them up from the other faucet, Becky."

Brandon laughed. "I knew I was marrying a genius."

Jazz bent down to kiss the man's cheek. "Glad you're on our side, Bran."

Golden brown eyes fixed on her seriously. "I'm _always_ on your side, Jazz."


	108. Vows

***The song from this chapter is called "Pieces", and it belongs to Red. Big thanks to Tonya for introducing it to me last year when I was in the midst of posting Watchmen. She thought it suited Brandon and Jazz perfectly...and I couldn't agree more.**

* * *

><p>Brandon had been standing outside of Jazz's bedroom door for roughly half an hour, growing increasingly frustrated and insecure. It had been almost an hour since the family had headed to the Great Room for their ceremony, and the young woman had yet to show her face.<p>

"Jazz!" he said again, though there seemed to be little point. "Open up! Just let me in so I can talk to you!"

Brandon swore under his breath when he didn't receive an answer once more, and his gaze shifted to the Raphael and Karina who were peering around the corner of the staircase. "This is ridiculous!" he proclaimed. "I can't talk to her through a door. Kari, will you ask Luke if he has keys for these locks?"

Karina's green eyes brightened. She walked toward the bathroom and stretched on her tiptoes to retrieve something off the top of the doorframe. "You don't need a key, _hermano_. Let me show you." She held out her hand to display a very thin cylindrical white rod.

"What's that?"

"It's part of an ink pen that I took apart." Karina pointed to the end that used to be used for writing. "Liv went through this phase about a month ago where she was locking herself into every room imaginable. I've got these things scattered all over the house. Just insert the end into that little hole in the middle of the knob until you feel it hit something, and keep it pressed in while you turn the handle. It works like a charm."

Brandon shook his head. "Very handy, Sis. _Gracias_."

"Just looking out for my big brother. We'll give you some privacy." Karina motioned to Raphael to go back downstairs and quickly followed him.

The man pushed the rod in the way that Karina had suggested, and smiled when the knob turned for him. The grin was erased when the dark emptiness of Jazz's room met him, and his stomach lurched as he wondered if she'd gone out the window.

"Jazz?" he called anyway. Brandon took a couple more steps into the room and turned on a lamp. "Jazz, are you still here?" When he heard a muffled sound close by, some hope was restored. He walked around the bed and paused by the door to the walk-in closet, which was standing open a couple of inches. Another soft gasp confirmed that he was on the right track.

Brandon felt around the wall for a light switch and flipped it on. He found the young woman half-way buried under a clothes rack with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her head was bowed, but he knew that she was crying. He cleared his throat as he went further inside.

"Jazz?" He winced when she looked up at him with red-tinged eyes. "What…what's going on?"

She swallowed. "I'm sorry."

When the young woman didn't elaborate, he slowly sank to the floor in front of her. "You're late for our wedding. Are you going to stand me up?" He tried to keep the question light.

"No!" The word was strangled, desperate. "I just wasn't ready."

"Then we can _wait_, Jazz. Why didn't you let me put this off sooner?"

"It isn't that. I'm not…it's not like that, Brandon. I'm ready to marry you, but I didn't expect to break down this way tonight. I wanted to get some _semblance_ of control back before I came down, where everyone would be watching me."

Brandon sighed. "Jazz, I _knew_ something was bothering you. I wish you would tell me what it is."

"I would have, but I didn't want to do _this!_" she ended fiercely as a sob erupted.

He reached for her chin to make her look at him. "What is it? I can handle whatever you need to tell me."

She sniffed, trying not to meet his gaze, though their current position made it difficult. "You know how you think you're in control of something? Someone might have hurt you, or they might be gone for good, but you've learned how to deal with it. The past doesn't have power over you anymore…until something comes along and sets off all the emotions like it happened _yesterday_."

Brandon nodded. "Yeah, I understand. It's like when I buried the anger and hurt I had toward my dad. But when I found out that Donny was looking for him, it sent me off the deep end. What deep end are _you_ dealing with, Jazz? Is this about your mom and dad? Your brother?"

She hesitated. "It started out that way. It was regret mostly, while I was reminiscing about growing up with James. It was a bad idea to do that."

"Sad memories?"

Jazz shook her head emphatically. "No. Everything was good where my brother was involved, until Afghanistan. I think I was forever destined to be his kid sister; he liked to pretend that I never aged. James was the only person who ever got away with calling me Jazzy."

"Jazzy?"

"If you repeat that to the guys I'll slug you. I think James just wanted me to stay innocent and young for as long as I could. Maybe that was why he pushed me away when he was discharged, or…maybe he'd really changed that much. I'll never know for sure."

She released a shaky breath and went on. "I'll never know if he died when he took off into that wilderness, or he's off living a new life somewhere that doesn't include me and my parents."

"It's _his_ loss if he is, and your parents' too," Brandon insisted.

"Those are the people that you look to on a day like this. I was afraid that anything resembling a real ceremony would only make me emotional."

"Which is why you didn't want one."

"Right, but I've also come to grips with the fact that my life is in a different place now…and my parents not being here doesn't bother me so much."

"Then what's really going on, Jazz? Can you explain this to me?"

"Not having my family here got me thinking about _this_ family, Bran, and how they accepted me so quickly."

"They really care about you," he agreed. "Letting someone into their inner circle is no small thing, Jazz. Once you're a member, it's for life. You don't have to worry that they're going to reject you because of your mistakes, or the style you choose. _None _of us are going to let you down like that."

Jazz nodded, yet shifted backward against the wall as though she needed to get away from him. "But thinking about all of you is what got me unraveled tonight, Bran. One second I was doing my makeup, and the next, I could hardly support my own weight." Grey eyes met him briefly. "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you or any of these people in my life. I'm nothing but a weird ex-con who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Brandon immediately crossed the distance she'd created between them. "We've been through this, Jazz. Your past doesn't define you. We've all done things that we regret. Going to prison doesn't make you worthless or mean that you can't fit in with us."

"It's easy to _say_ that!" she snapped. "Words can roll off the tongue without any trouble. But when you're abandoned by the only family you had, by the people who _raised_ you, how are you supposed to believe that _anyone's_ love is unconditional?"

"Are you saying you don't think any of us can love you that way?"

"No. I'm saying…I'm caught in the middle of an emotional break down, and I don't know _how_ to count on anyone else."

Brandon paused for a long moment and then dug his hand into his pocket. "Maybe you should hear my vows."

"You didn't actually write those."

"Yes I did."

"You're supposed to save them for the ceremony!"

"So what? We're not traditional. It won't hurt you to sit here and listen to them, will it?"

She shook her head.

"Okay then." He smoothed the paper out and hesitated for dramatic effect. "I hereby promise never to get tired of your endless creativity, or your constantly evolving style. I'll always be attracted to you, no matter how outrageous or 'normal' you choose to look. I promise not to let Tiger near your styling tools." He looked at Jazz with an arched eyebrow and she gave him a faint smile in return.

"I promise to _never _gang up on you when it comes to a prank, and to protect your back from being on the receiving end to the best of my ability. I promise not to get irritated when Diamond tries to claim your bed, our bed, as her own. I promise to always nod and smile like I know what you're going on about excitedly in techno speech. I may have no clue what you're saying, but I'll still try to listen and learn a little along the way.

I promise to never abandon you in the middle of a fight again, no matter how big or small it is. I promise to always love you for who you are, for everything that makes you a unique and special person. I promise to hold onto you until my dying breath."

Brandon was quiet for a few seconds. "I'm not going to change my mind about you, Jazz. You and your past aren't perfect, but neither is mine. Maybe we're both a mess in our own way, but that doesn't have to push us apart. I won't let it.

"You're one of the only reasons I've come this far. I was in the darkest place I've ever been when I met you, and you helped pull me out. You're the best thing that could have happened to me. Can you accept that on my word, even if you don't _feel_ like it can be true?"

He held out his arms to her, and Jazz fell into them with a sob. Brandon just embraced her for a couple of minutes without saying another word until her trembling slowed down. "I love you."

Jazz grimaced. "I love you too, but I've ruined everything, haven't I?"

Brandon shook his head. "Do you still want to do this tonight?"

She nodded.

"All right. Then I'll give you as much time as you need to get ready and come down. You don't even have to dress up."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "The girls _made_ me buy a dress. Do you think I'll get away without wearing it?"

* * *

><p>Brandon slowly gazed around the transformed Great Room while he waited for things to start. The high beams of the lodge had been strung with so many white twinkle lights that it almost looked like the Milky Way. A soft night breeze filtered in through the open windows, causing candle flames to dance but not go out.<p>

Most of the furniture had been relocated to give them space to set up an improvised dance floor, in addition to a couple of long tables set with beautiful touches that spoke of Jazz's influence. He could see signs of her details everywhere, from the unusual flowers she'd picked down to her favorite colors that interspersed everything. _I'm glad the girls respected what she wanted, even though she was so hesitant._

"Take two?" Leonardo suggested, patting him on the back.

Brandon grinned at the blue-masked turtle. "Yeah. I think the girl might show up this time."

Leonardo smiled in return, but there was seriousness behind his eyes.

"What, Leo? You don't think she's coming?"

The turtle half-chuckled. "Sorry, Bran, I'm just thinking. It's amazing to be here, you know? After everything we survived and how far away we were, it still gets to me sometimes."

Brandon nodded. "It's like we used up our 'Get out of Jail Free' card or something."

Leo's grip on his shoulder tightened. "We find more of those cards than our fair share, lucky for us."

Brandon's eyebrows rose. "I don't think 'luck' has anything to do with it."

"You're right," he replied. "That's become more obvious than ever."

The sound of footsteps on the stairs made Brandon look across the room, and he watched Karina and Calley come in. Jazz hadn't wanted help initially, but had begrudgingly accepted it from the women after her break down. He stared at the two women questioningly, and his sister nodded.

"Jazz will be down in a minute. Will you cue the music, Donny?" Karina requested.

"Music?" Brandon didn't know what Karina meant. No one explained anything to him, so he simply stood still and listened as a slow instrumental began playing in the background. He was struck by the sad undertone the music contained, but it slowly built as though it was going somewhere else.

"_I'm here again  
>A thousand miles away from you<br>A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am._

_I tried so hard  
>Thought I could do this on my own<br>I've lost so much along the way."_

Brandon was so caught up in the lyrics that he almost missed the sound of Jazz's heels descending. The young woman emerged looking as timid as he'd ever seen her, and he knew that she was uncomfortable with being the center of attention.

"_Then I see your face  
>I know I'm finally yours<br>I find everything I thought I lost before  
>You call my name<br>I come to you in pieces  
>So you can make me whole."<em>

Jazz paused in the light at the bottom of the stairs, and her face lit up when she met his gaze. Her blond hair was swept back so that her highlights were even more prominent than usual. Her signature smoky eye was still in effect, but the touch of shimmering glitter made the rest of her seem to sparkle.

As Brandon's gaze lingered on the violet halter-style dress that nipped in at her waist and flared out over her calves, he couldn't help asking himself why he'd never wrestled her into something like it before. Delicate black lace overlaid the material, creating an intricate pattern that seemed to suit Jazz's style perfectly.

"_I've come undone  
>But you make sense of who I am<br>Like puzzle pieces in your hand._

_Then I see your face  
>I know I'm finally yours<br>I find everything I thought I lost before  
>You call my name<br>I come to you in pieces  
>So you can make me whole!"<em>

Brandon felt himself smiling like an idiot as she approached his side of the room, and he barely stifled a chuckled at the sight of her black rhinestone studded heels.

Jazz shook her head, mouthing the words, _they made me_. The young woman reached for his hand. "Are you going to dance with me?"

He couldn't hide his surprise. "Now?"

"I didn't get all dressed up for nothing. You don't mind doing things a little backwards, do you?"

Brandon laughed. "I'm not saying no to _anything_."

"You're just relieved that I made it down the stairs in those heels, aren't you?"

He laughed again as she threw her arms around his neck. "You're even more talented than I imagined."

Jazz winked at him. "I hope to continue that trend."

"_I tried so hard! So hard!  
>I tried so hard!<em>

_Then I see your face  
>I know I'm finally yours<br>I find everything I thought I lost before  
>You call my name<br>I come to you in pieces  
>So you can make me whole<br>So you can make me whole."_

Brandon wrapped his arms around her waist, turning Jazz around with the rhythm of the music. She laid her head against his shoulder, and he knew at that moment that he would never need anything else.


	109. Life as Usual

Peace; Leonardo didn't have to strain for it, didn't have to press in for several minutes to find a calm place. The sensation enveloped him like a soft mist floating along on a breeze, refreshing every part of him.

The blue-masked turtle had quickly learned that it was necessary to get up earlier when there were young ones in the den – at least if he wanted to be able to focus on his katas without distractions. When he'd risen from his and Calley's bed in their sewer home around five that morning, he hadn't even been tired.

There was usually a hint of disappointment in the back of his mind when they returned to New York City from Lotus Salvus to resume their normal existence, but it was less pronounced this time than it had been in the past. _We were away from home long enough. It was time to come back. _Shunshi was restarting school, Jazz's hearing needed attention, and they'd already spent the entire summer away from Manhattan.

Leonardo snorted as the thought distracted him, opening his eyes. _We were away from _Earth_ for over three months. I'm not sure if the enormity of this will ever sink in. _He sighed contentedly as peace reasserted itself, reminding him that it didn't matter. _We're together. Everyone is okay – everyone is healthy. For this brief moment, there's nothing to be concerned about, not even for the babies._

He felt a smile emerging as he imagined himself becoming an uncle again. _The Docs say that everything looks perfect. It's hard to accept that after what we went through with Karina and Becky's pregnancies, but this _is_ different. For as much danger as Jenna was in, we still have Yasir to thank for a couple of things. _The alien's name felt distasteful when it crossed his mind. _But he'll only ever be a memory now._

Leonardo had experienced another dream about the firestorm the night before, but the images were more amazing than they were frightening. It was difficult to forget the face of the strange but powerful "guardian" who'd rescued him from certain death.

He could admit to feeling fear when he recalled the figure's eyes which had appeared to burn with an unquenchable fire, but there was also something secure in the creature's expression. Though he knew instinctively that the stranger could have consumed him with his gaze alone, the strength was comforting because the guardian wasn't evil. Of that he was thoroughly convinced.

The turtle shook his head at the memory. _I've never faced an enemy or any _other _living thing that instantly made me feel so weak and helpless. _As incredible as the experience had been, Leonardo wasn't sure if he would want to relive it. _At least not unless I really needed to._

His thoughts strayed to Ghyath with another smile. The golden-eyed elohim had taken to carrying around his scimitar rather than his gun in the days following the battle, and Leo hadn't been disappointed by the shift in weaponry. _I'm glad that Ghyath is where he's supposed to be. If the Nalikjan stand together, I think they have a good shot of making it in this new life._

_For _everyone's_ sakes, I hope that they never stop following the Light. They could still do a lot of damage with their knowledge and technology, but they can do good with it too. I bet they could cure some of Earth's worst diseases…but then, it's probably better if they keep their distance and don't try to cross paths with us. That's one thing I could easily agree on with Ghyath. I'm not sure if our world will _ever_ need to know about them. If the Earth can't handle the truth about mutated ninja turtles, I doubt they're ready to take on an entirely new civilization._

Leonardo heard giggling that could only signify one thing: he was about to be interrupted. He turned to the door expectantly in time to watch it open inward, and a wound up Olivia bounded straight inside the room. He couldn't refrain from smiling over the way she pranced on the mat, as inappropriate as it would have been inside a real dojo.

"Leo! Leo, Leo!"

He chuckled and opened his arms to the toddler when she flung herself toward him. "You're silly, Liv," he said affectionately.

"We gonn' eats panacakes and sausages!" she announced.

"That sounds good, Liv. Is your daddy up yet?"

"Uh…he's lookin' for a 'mote." She giggled.

"It sounds like you might _know_ something about the remote."

The little turtle shifted in his arms, bouncing lightly on top of his crossed legs.

"Liv, do you know where the remote is?"

"Uh…I don' know!"

Leonardo set his niece back down on the mat just as Karina poked her head into the room.

"Oh for Pete's sake." Karina shook her head. "You're supposed to be helping _daddy_, Olivia. Now what do you think you're doing in here?"

"Seein' Leo," she replied innocently.

Karina glanced at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Leo. You can feel free to lock this door, honestly."

The blue-masked turtle grinned. "It's all right. I've already been told that we're having 'panacakes' and sausages. They'll be no returning to work now."

Karina nodded vigorously. "The pancakes are _flying_ out. They're one of Bran's specialties when he actually takes the time to cook instead of heat up something frozen."

"He's up already?"

"Yeah. He and Jazz are supposed to be looking at several places today."

Leo frowned. "They don't necessarily have to be in a hurry."

"Leo, they're newlyweds." She laughed. "You know what that's like."

"I know. It's just with the things that Brandon has been through, and then this summer—"

"You're feeling protective."

"Yeah, I guess I am. But there's no sense in putting off the inevitable either. Brandon and Jazz don't need to stay underground. They can live in a normal building and pass for regular people, even if they're not," he finished impishly.

"Well…my brother isn't the most decisive guy on the planet. Maybe they'll take their time to look before they sign on a dotted line. I'm headed back to the kitchen, so I'll make you up a plate, okay?"

"Thanks, Karina."

The bronze-haired woman swooped over to lift Olivia off the floor, "flying" her several feet before setting her back down. "You're going to help daddy find the remote, Liv. I know I saw you with it earlier."

"Find a 'mote?"

"Yes. Find it," the Latin woman said firmly.

"We'll work on it together, right, Liv?" Leo suggested.

"Look for a 'mote!" The three-year-old ran ahead of him in the direction of the living area and made a bee-line for her toy ride-on train.

Over by the couch, Raphael was sulking.

"Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Bro?" Leo couldn't resist asking.

The red-masked turtle mumbled something darkly. "It's the season-opener, Leo. I've been looking forward to seeing the follow-up from the finale with my show. I DVRed the dang thing last night, and now I can't find the freakin' remote!"

Leonardo gave the room a cursory glance, and then focused on Olivia scooting across the floor on her train. "Did you check _everywhere_?"

"I moved all the couch cushions, looked under the furniture, even inside of the kids' toy bin. I can't find the thing, Leo!"

Leo calmly walked over to the toddler and pulled her off of the train. He lifted the seat to reveal the hidden compartment underneath, and came up with a half-eaten piece of pizza, a popsicle stick, someone's phone charger, two toy cars…and the television remote. He held the remote out to his brother without saying a word.

Raphael shook his head in amazement. "I woulda got there eventually."

"Your kid is a pack rat, Raph."

His brother shrugged, cracking a smile as Olivia jumped back on her train. "You never know when you're gonna need something."

Leonardo heard a door open down the hall and looked over his shoulder to see Jazz approaching the living area. There was a new strut to the young woman's step that he'd enjoyed seeing come out, especially with how nervous she'd been about her hearing. The court date had thankfully already come and gone a couple of days before.

Jazz hadn't applied her makeup yet, and though she still looked younger without it, her visible vulnerability had decreased. He was reminded of the peace he'd experienced in his spirit earlier as he gazed at her face while she sauntered into the room.

The young woman smirked at the two turtles. "Have you guys eaten everything in sight?"

"Nah; Mikey ain't even been down yet," Raphael assured her. "You and Bran got big plans on the surface today?"

"We're supposed to be going all over creation." Jazz sighed. "I kind of want to stay in this little corner of the city. We might be able to get more bang for our buck somewhere else, but I don't want to be that far away from you guys."

Raphael crossed his arms. "You shouldn't have to live in a shoebox either."

"If that's what we can afford, Raph, then we'll do it. I just wish I could get a _real_ job, y'know? Don't get me wrong: I'm grateful that Director Kelley's 'threat to national security' spiel got me out of trouble at my hearing. How he convinced any of these people that I had to go undercover for my safety is beyond me. But that doesn't change the fact that I can't work with computers for a living. I don't _have_ another talent to fall back on."

"I don't think that's true, Jazz," Raphael argued.

"Nobody's kicking you out either," Leo added. "But we understand if you want your own space, or to live somewhere normal…"

Jazz smiled. "Our lives will never be _normal_, Leo." She quickly moved out of the way of Olivia's train, drawing up both legs on the couch to avoid the toddler. "I don't know. Part of me is happy to be here and doesn't want anything to change. The other part is telling me that Bran and I should go be adults and take care of ourselves. You guys have supported our butts for long enough, _mine_ especially."

Leonardo chuckled. "It was our fault that you lost that cleaning job and your apartment to begin with."

"Eh, nobody's perfect," she cracked.

"Leo's right, Jazz," the red-masked turtle said. "You guys don't _have_ to go anywhere."

"We've barely looked around. Who knows? You guys might get your wish after all."

The kitchen door came swinging open and Brandon emerged into the room with Diamond on his heels. "Your puppy seems to think that she has first dibs on everything in the kitchen, Jazz."

"That's because she's the official taste tester," Jazz said matter-of-factly. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Yeah, if you're not careful, she'll 'test' your whole plate," Raphael grumbled.

"You eat more in a day than that dog eats in a week," Jazz retorted.

"She's a pipsqueak and I'm a tank!"

"I think you're reaching, turtle."

Leonardo looked at Brandon. "I'd suggest separating them, but I don't know if it'll help."

Jazz huffed. "We may have our moments, but attitude and sarcasm are a whole lot cheaper than therapy and bail money."

Raphael guffawed and Brandon shook his head.

"Is anyone hungry?" the man asked.

"Why do you ask questions that you already know the answer to?" Raph wondered.

"I made two different batches of pancakes, starting with the blueberry—"

"And the chocolate chip?" the younger turtle asked hopefully.

"I know how to keep you happy _sometimes_. Everything is already set up if you guys wanna come in the kitchen."

Leonardo was pleased to find tea waiting in addition to the food. All of the girls had taken pains to learn the proper steps for brewing over the years, and he appreciated the effort they went to for him. The only thing that could make the meal complete was if a certain someone was to come into the room.

The blue-masked turtle nearly turned crimson at the _thought _of Calley. The young woman had been more aggressive with him since their return. It was nothing short of thrilling, but it had reduced him down to the awkwardness he'd felt at the very beginning of their relationship. _I suppose everything is a trade off, _he thought, amused. _There are a lot worse things that I could be feeling…_

He sipped his tea contentedly for a few seconds before realizing that Raphael was staring at him. "Something wrong?"

His brother grinned. "Nope. You just got that 'look' again, Leo."

"What look? I don't have a look."

Raphael snickered. "Whatever, Bro."

Leonardo set his cup down and began cutting up his pancakes, just to prove that there was nothing unusual going on with him. He'd made it about half-way through a blueberry pancake when the kitchen door opened again, and the blond woman he'd been daydreaming about quietly entered.

Calley tousled her fringed bangs lightly as she walked across the room; an action so simple and ordinary that Leo didn't understand why it made his heart-rate pick up.

"Good morning," she said casually, like she had no idea of her effect on him. Her expression was relaxed, but the spark in her eyes told him that Calley knew _more_ than she was letting on.

_She always could read me like a book. There's no sense in pretending otherwise. _He turned his head as she leaned over him, so that she kissed him on the lips instead of the cheek. Leo didn't care if the others watched.

"I'm going to get a shower," she told him.

"I'll make sure to save you some breakfast."

"Thanks."

With another smile the woman was gone, and Leonardo was faced with his brother's gaze once more.

"Yeah, _that_ look, Leo."

He shook his head. "Shut it and eat your pancakes, Raph."


	110. Changed

***I really, REALLY don't recommend ticking Raphael off this badly. He scared me a little...but he kind of had it coming.**

* * *

><p>The orange-masked turtle bounced on the edge of his seat as he looked forward to an evening of fun at the expense of Greg, where he would proceed to beat the man over and over at Mario Kart. <em>The dude never gives up though, so I have to give him some props.<em>

The four brothers had set off alone that night, which was a rarity nowadays. Everyone else was already on the surface, with the exception of Brandon and Jazz who'd lingered behind, and Jenna who'd decided to go to bed early.

Michelangelo cast a look at his purple-masked brother. Donatello had been more interested in staying with his wife than going along on a "game night", but her insistence coupled with _their_ prodding had managed to get him out of the den. Donny was currently guiding the helm of the Slider, with a relaxed expression that indicated he was glad to be out with them too.

"I bet Bran and Jazz couldn't _wait_ for us to get out the door," Mike joked.

Raphael smirked. "They were a little too eager if you ask me. Newlyweds."

Leonardo made a scoffing sound. "Does anyone blame them? I'm sure they're ready to move out just to get a little more time to themselves."

Mike was mid-snicker when the engine of the Slider unexpectedly died.

"What…?" Donatello instantly leaned over his display, checking instruments for some explanation.

Raphael gave Don a lazy smile. "What's up, Genius? Did ya forget to fill up the tank or something?"

Donny rolled his eyes. "Funny, Raph. The display is completely dark, and I don't have a clue what would cause this. Could one of you grab me a flashlight please?"

Michelangelo felt under the seat for one of his brother's emergency kits, and brought the entire box over to Donny. "Do you think y' can save her, Cap'n?" he asked, adopting a ridiculous accent.

His brother gave him a tolerant smile which faded into something more perplexed. "I checked all of our equipment when we got home from North Carolina. I didn't see anything that would suggest an impending mechanical failure. I don't _think_ the battery could have died on me…"

While Donatello continued mumbling to himself, the Slider started drifting along with the current.

"Do you think I should call, Heff?" Leonardo asked.

"Nah, don't cancel with Greg yet!" Mike protested. "Donny can fix it. Just give 'im a second."

"Holler if you need a hand or something, Bro," Raphael called to the purple-masked turtle.

Don raised a hand to acknowledge Raphael, but didn't respond to him. Mike focused on keeping the beam of the flashlight steady on the spot where his brother was working, at least until another distinctly mechanical sound distracted him.

"_Mikey_," Don complained when the light wavered.

"Wait," Leo said. "Did you hear—"

The blue-masked turtle didn't have time to finish the question before a strange deluge overtook the Slider from above. Mike automatically dropped into a crouch and tried to protect his head from the unidentified liquid washing over them. When he peeked out from his arms, he could see Donatello buried by the control panel. He was startled by the fluorescent yellow color covering his brother's shell already.

A simultaneous shout from the other end of the Slider made Mike dart to his feet, regardless of the possible consequences of exposing himself further. His mouth dropped at the sight of what appeared to be a waterfall emptying its nonstop flow on his older brothers.

Mike only had seconds to be amazed before the flood caught up with _him _again, pouring over his head so that he had to quickly shut his eyes. He was feeling a bit shaken by the time the downpour ceased, leaving an incredible display of different colors in its wake. He couldn't help staring at the pools of yellow, white, green, and blue which were just starting to mingle together in the bottom of the Slider, and then wondered what _he_ had to look like.

Mike wiped a hand across his forehead, intrigued by the consistency of the substance, and suddenly recognized the smell. _Oh_ s_hell, _paint_? Are you serious?_

An angry snarl drew his attention to Raphael, or at least a creature that _sounded_ like him. The older turtles were completely drenched by a purple color so dark that it almost looked black. Leonardo's breathing was rapid as if he was still processing what had happened, but Raphael was cursing.

"DONNY!" The red-masked turtle's voice could have carried for miles.

Donatello gingerly rose, brushing a hand over the white paint that was covering at least half of his face. "What the shell are you yelling at _me_ for? I didn't have anything to DO with this!"

"If this paint doesn't come off your little assistant is gonna _disappear_!"

"Getting angry with me won't do you any good," Donny muttered, irritated.

Leonardo was futilely rubbing his eyes with dripping hands, and Mike stepped over to give him some help. "Thanks," he said stiffly. "I don't get it. This is _major _when it comes to pranking. I know Jazz owed _you_ for her hair, Raph—"

"Why do I keep getting flack for something that was an ACCIDENT?"

"And Brandon owed you a little something too, but that doesn't explain why they would go this far," Leo continued.

Mike swallowed. "It…uh…well, Raphy and I might hav—"

"Shut it, Mikey!" Raphael ordered fiercely.

The orange-masked turtle stayed silent. The mood his older brother was in would certainly include tackling if he gave the two of them away. He noticed that Donny was staring up at the tunnel above them with a small sense of awe.

"For that pulley system alone…an electric motor? Jazz must have planned this out thoroughly!" Don proclaimed.

"She didn't do it alone," Raphael said darkly. "They're _both _gonna pay."

Donatello sighed. "Not until we can get out of here. This shouldn't take long."

Mike's eye-ridges rose. "Why do you say that?"

"Because we were set _up_, Mikey. Getting stalled right here under their trap wasn't coincidental. She probably installed some kind of kill switch."

"But how would she know when to trigger it?" Leo asked.

"I don't know, Leo. GPS maybe, or even a camera. They missed out on seeing the fruits of their labor, so it makes sense that they could be watching remotely."

Raphael folded his arms as he looked right and left. "If that's true, I hope you punks enjoyed the view, because you're going down _next!_"

Leonardo exhaled as he sat down on a seat. "Raph, save your breath. There's no point in getting worked up. Maybe you could help Don figure out how to get the Slider running."

Raphael only growled in response, even as Donatello straightened up from the control panel.

"I'm pretty sure I've got it, Leo," Donny said. "One foreign object removed, so let's see if she decided to make this easy on me…" He trailed off when he tried to start the Slider again, and the engine sputtered for a couple of seconds before turning over.

Leonardo nodded gratefully. "Get us home, Donny. I sure hope this stuff is water-based."

Raphael eyed him in annoyance. "You're too _calm_, Leo."

"Getting ticked isn't going to help," he retorted. "But I _am_ going to demand an explanation."

"Then are you gonna ground 'em and send them to their room, Fearless?" Raphael scoffed. "We have to get them _back_."

"I never said we wouldn't. We're not ready for a counterstrike yet, Raph. One thing at a time."

"_You_ might not be ready, Leo, but I am. They ain't getting away with this."

Michelangelo looked down at the water flowing beneath the Slider which appeared tempting. His purple-masked brother snatched his wrist as if he knew what he'd been thinking.

"Don't you _dare_," Donny told him. "The amount of bacteria in that water alone means it isn't worth it."

Mike snorted. "That didn't stop you and Leo before."

Don gave him a cross look. "We couldn't _help_ it, Mike. Well, Leo could have. Anyway, it was an accident and I could have drowned, so that's an unfair example."

He grinned. "I guess you'd better just get us home then."

"Only _you_ could smile after being hit with a prank like that," Donny complained.

Mike shook his head, not speaking his thoughts out loud lest he suffer the wrath of Raphael. _Jazz did it. I gotta say, I'm impressed. I'd better keep that to myself, or the other guys might pound me too._

* * *

><p>The fifteen minute ride back to the den felt like forever when compared to the rate of the paint drying. The moment the craft stopped, Raphael was the first one to leap off the Slider.<p>

"Bro, take it easy!" Leo called after him. "Don't do anything hasty!"

"Hasty, Leo?" His voice soared. "You're gonna _see_ some haste when we find them!"

"Hurry up, guys," Leonardo urged the younger turtles. "I might need your help to control him."

Mike crept at the back of the line as the red-masked turtle led the way to the door, and opened it with a tremendous _bang_.

"Jazz? Brandon?" Raphael's voice was dangerously casual. "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Leonardo entered behind him, reaching for his shoulder. "Raph, _don't_ lose it…"

The living area looked just as dark and undisturbed as they'd left it. Mike lingered for a moment under the door frame, wondering how Raphael _would_ react when he caught sight of the culprits. He was prepared for some serious yelling, but didn't expect to hear another gasp.

Michelangelo heard a scuffle on the other side of the room which was followed by an even louder commotion. Donny was hesitating in front of him, and Mike pushed in from behind him to see what was going on. He was surprised to see Raphael hunched over, furiously rubbing his eyes from some _new_ obstacle in his path.

Leonardo was already pinning the bronze-haired man against the wall with one hand, and extending his other to deter the red-masked turtle.

"He's MINE, Leo!"

Mike was staring the curious scene to try and determine what exactly had just transpired when a hand grazed his shoulder.

"You guys were right on time," Jazz informed him.

He jerked around to chide the woman and was rewarded by a white blur smashing into his face. Mike couldn't deny being surprised, even with everything that had led up to that point. The turtle immediately tasted chocolate and something else that was sickeningly sweet and familiar.

"Oh no you don't!" Donatello's voice rang in his ears, and he heard a small scream from Jazz's direction which was quickly muffled.

Mike wrestled with the sticky remnants clinging to his eyes and he finally recognized the stuff. "Marshmallow fluff?"

He heard Jazz giggle, and Raphael swear.

"Yeah, you'd _better_ hold him down, Leo! Don't let 'im go nowhere!"

The orange-masked turtle laughed loudly when he got a glimpse of Jazz, and realized the woman was covered in one of her own pies. "Nice, Donny. Way to look out!" He gave Donatello a thumbs up and smiled at the sight of Raphael attacking Brandon with the leftovers of his own marshmallow missiles.

Mike continued scraping off the fluff until he hit the chocolate underneath. "What do you call this, Jazz? A s'mores?"

She snickered. "You catch on, just not fast enough! You guys look _amazing_!"

"Jazz, you'd BETTER stop laughing, 'cause I'm coming after you next!" Raphael called warningly.

His threat had the opposite of his desired effect, only making her laugh harder. The red-masked turtle stalked over to them, striking what _might _have been a fierce pose if he wasn't colored purple and covered in marshmallow fluff. "What is the _deal?_" he demanded. "Painting us wasn't enough?"

"Of course not!" she returned. "The s'mores were because you and Mike made fun of me. The paint was to prove that it could be done."

"Prove that _what_ could be done?" Leo's voice rose. "If this was all about Raph and Mike, you've got an awful lot of collateral damage on your hands!"

Jazz shook her head, forcing a straight face. "Leo, Donny, I'm sorry. The challenge specifically entailed nailing all four of you."

Donatello's brow creased. "What challenge?"

Raphael looked away, and Leonardo's dark eyes narrowed.

"Raph? _What_ challenge?" When the blue-masked turtle didn't get an answer, he turned a smoldering look on Jazz. "Explain."

"He and Mike told me that it was impossible for the four of you to be pranked at once. They said it couldn't be done, _especially_ by me."

Donny groaned loudly. "Have you guys learned _nothing_ from having me for a brother? You never tell a techie that they can't do something, and you definitely don't make fun of them! You may as well have called her an idiot to her face!"

"But we didn't—" Mike started.

Don raised a hand to cut him off. "Laughing at her conveyed the same message. Jazz would _never_ have quit until she found a way to strike down all four of us. Next time you want to challenge her, leave me and Leo out of it!"

"Donny?" Jenna's voice suddenly inserted into the conversation. "What's going on?" The raven-haired woman stared around the room with shock. "Crikey. You send me to bed early, and then you go and have a party. Why am I surprised?"

"The only thing you missed was Raph's and Mike's big mouths landing us all in trouble," Donatello said.

Jenna cocked her head as she approached him. "Aw…what'd they do to you, babe?"

"Dropped about twenty gallons of paint on us in the tunnel," Leo remarked evenly, as though that kind of thing happened all the time.

At Jenna's frown, Jazz quickly held up her hands.

"It's washable!" she insisted. "None of the ingredients are any stronger than the stuff in poster paint!"

Raphael grunted, still angry. "That doesn't mean you're off the hook. You're gonna pay big time for this, one way or another."

"Do you honestly think you can scare me after what we lived through this summer?" Jazz shot back.

With the woman's question, Mike suddenly shuddered. It was true that "fear" itself seemed to have a new meaning after the challenges they'd faced.

Raphael's face softened for the first time since the incident started in the tunnel and he exhaled. "Ain't that the truth? I don't think any of the junk we deal with on Earth is gonna seem as hard ever again."

Silence persisted in the atmosphere for several seconds.

"Everything feels a little different," Donny finally said. "Colors, tastes, smells…it's like they're all heightened, and I'm more aware of them than I've ever been. Do you think it's going to wear off?"

"Maybe in time," Leo said. "But other things probably _won't_ ever be the same. I don't think you can go through an experience like we did and not be changed by it."

Brandon flicked off marshmallow fluff that was nearly overtaking his eyes. "Do you guys find yourself wondering how the Nalikjan are doing?"

"I think…" Donny started, and then paused. "I hope Kamryn will be all right. I hope she'll be happy."

"She will be," Raphael said confidently. "Hey, she survived all those years as a slave and an experiment, right? She lived through that battle to tell about it. I think Kamryn will be just fine."

Mike nodded, gazing over his brothers and friends slowly. "We could start our own Fellowship."

"What?" Leonardo was baffled.

"You know, Frodo had the Fellowship to protect him when he had to go on that journey to destroy the One Ring? Most of them didn't get to go with him to Mordor, but they all knew what he was going through. Nobody can _really _understand what happened on that weird rock outside of the seven of us."

Don smiled, punching his arm affectionately. "I think _you're_ the weird one."

"Nuh uh, Bro, we _share_ that claim to fame. We were all kidnapped by space aliens," Mike replied.

Leonardo smiled. "We all made it home too, and that's what really matters. Whether or not we'll ever be the same, we can still be grateful for that."

Mike raised his hand. "I should start working on a new name for us!"

The groans that met him were expected, relished even. They were home, and for however brief of a moment, everything was right with the world.

* * *

><p><strong>*Yes, dear friends, we have reached the<strong>** end of another story. For those of you who may be disappointed by the non-appearance of the twins, don't be too sad. Christmas is coming...and so is a holiday fic, when I can get around to writing it. I want to thank everyone who was so supportive of this "little" fic of mine. I'm going to follow in the footsteps of others I admire, and give credit where credit is due not just to those who directly impacted the writing of Chosen, but you who encouraged me all along the way.**

**I have to say thanks first to my two right-hand ladies:**

**Mary/Mikell - I owe you a lot as a writer, but even more as a friend. **  
><strong>You've been there for me more times than I can count. I appreciate <strong>  
><strong>you...and I'll ALWAYS want you.<strong>

**Erin - Thanks so much for "lending" Kamryn to me, creating the elohim **  
><strong>language, and listening to me excitedly babble on for several minutes <strong>  
><strong>at a time over snippets of ideas and nonsense.<strong>

**To my readers and friends:**

**FoxXxXx/Tonya - For being a good friend, dearly loving my OC's, and **  
><strong>referring me to such awesome music. Thanks for being there for me on <strong>  
><strong>Facebook and encouraging me constantly.<strong>

**Laughter's Tears - For reading along with me for so many stories now, **  
><strong>and thoroughly entertaining me with stories of your own. Your humor is <strong>  
><strong>a bright spot in my day, but your drama is just as addictive. (Readers, <strong>  
><strong>check out "The Brother Quest" and "Chesspieces".)<strong>

**Sciencegal/Jessica - For referring to Leo's swords as his babies and **  
><strong>his "precious", and getting a giggle out of his daydreaming "look". <strong>  
><strong>Thanks for encouraging me during a low point in Chosen when I really <strong>  
><strong>needed it. (Readers, check out Hacked!)<strong>

**Jesy Marylin - For taking this entire journey with me, and for being **  
><strong>the first person to correctly (and confidently!) identify which turtle <strong>  
><strong>was who. Thanks for always patiently waiting for my updates. :)<strong>

**Timidbookworm - For typing incomprehensible words when under stress, **  
><strong>and being disappointed in the very near deaths of Ghyath and Bahri <strong>  
><strong>under the Ruairi. Thanks for going on the trip with me. (Wanna laugh <strong>  
><strong>hard? Read Plumbing with Explosives.)<strong>

**D'Fuentes/Kryssy - For the constant entertainment between your jet **  
><strong>packs, Mort adoring King Julien, and the remark about Bahri being a <strong>  
><strong>Century-old virgin. Thanks for being there for me throughout the story, <strong>  
><strong>and encouraging me for choosing to make God a big part of it. (Little <strong>  
><strong>Monsters is a must read :)<strong>

**Puldoh - For knowing you don't EVER leave one of your own men (or **  
><strong>women) behind, and always being excited for the action.<strong>

**Mysterious Feathers - For all the PM's and giggling over Raphael **  
><strong>contemplating rainbows and unicorns.<strong>

**Pottyandweezlbe89 - For being one of the earliest people to take a **  
><strong>guess at the boy's identities, and encouraging me to continue.<strong>

**Tealana - For being a hungry reader. :)**

**Radical Criminal - For correctly guessing Don's identity in the first **  
><strong>chapter.<strong>

**Dawn - Thanks for taking interest because of Facebook and jumping right **  
><strong>in with both feet.<strong>

**Sapphire - Begging for an update so you wouldn't go crazy. :)**

**Sait4soreyes - Thanks for reading, for editing a few stories for me, **  
><strong>and always loving the pivitol moment when the reason for the fic's <strong>  
><strong>title is revealed. You're awesome.<strong>

**Distracted Student - Thanks for your kind review and enjoying my more **  
><strong>accurate portrayels of the boys. Sorry to have disappointed you with my <strong>  
><strong>early stuff...it took me a while to get a couple of them down.<strong>

**Boasamishipper - Thanks for all the kind reviews, for loving the **  
><strong>tearful reunion and nailing Luke as overprotective. That he certainly <strong>  
><strong>is.<strong>

**JesusismySaviour99 - For your funny story about your friend's jealously **  
><strong>of Jenna, and for not wanting me to hurt your Leo. :)<strong>

**Karlina101 - For the kind reviews, and loving the sweetness.**

**The White Grim - For calling Chosen one of the best stories you've **  
><strong>read. Thanks for your kindness.<strong>

**Name goes here - For reading along with me in the hopes of seeing more **  
><strong>turtle tots, and knowing the guys deserve a big family.<strong>

**M. D, Owens /Mindy - For enjoying the gentle progression and revelation of **  
><strong>all the boy's personalities. (Readers, check out "I remember You")<strong>

**MelodyWinters/Tammy - Feeling sorry for Don in the Matches, but loving **  
><strong>how he took Threl down with ease. (Love Splinter? Check out Fated <strong>  
><strong>Destinies.)<strong>

**Last but not least, to everyone from the Underground: Ncisduckie, **  
><strong>Shakespeare's Lemonade, Akela Victoire, M Jhuoilly M Bbo, Oldstoneface, <strong>  
><strong>and Dzuljeta. Thanks for reading and reviewing chapters for me. We'll <strong>  
><strong>always have the Insane Aslyum. :)<strong>

**Thanks everyone. Without feedback, my train gets derailed. It completes **  
><strong>the experience and reminds me that I'm not out on an island by myself. <strong>  
><strong>Until next time... 3<strong>


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